No Roads Left
by Maresia Eterna
Summary: [COMPLETE] "Lord Tennyson once said "'tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all." "He also said once that 'words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within'." Haruhi completed, and Tamaki caressed her cheek. Tamaki/Haruhi/Hikaru, Mori/OC.
1. No Roads Left

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

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_**Important Information:**_People, I should warn you right away that _**English**_ is my _**second**_ language. Therefore, there will be mistakes in every chapter. I just hope you guys can look past them, and give me the chance to write this fic. Also, this fic is _finished!_ However, if at the end you guys ask for it, I may write an epilogue.

**Information Required For This Fic: **This fic happens basically on the same year as the anime, because I need the guys to be together, and if Haruhi was a senior, then some of the members of the Host Club would no longer be at the Academy. Hope you understand.

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Quick information about this fic:  
**Rating:** T  
**Genres:** Romance, Drama, Humor, Angst  
**Warnings:** Language  
**Main** **Pairings:** Tamaki/Haruhi, Mori/OC  
**Romantic Hints:** Hikaru/Haruhi (indirectly).  
**Summary:** "Lord Tennyson once said ''tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all." "He also said once that 'words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within'." Haruhi completed, and Tamaki sadly caressed her cheek.

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**No Roads Left**

_Prologue_

It was a fantastic day for the celebration of the new school year. The sky was clear of any cloud; flocks of birds were crossing the opulence of the ocean above, rose petals dancing with the autumnal breeze. People were wandering around through that part of the park, dressed in their most elegant dresses and tuxes, while enjoying the delicacy of tea and the softness of the pastries.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin were, as usual, giving off the "famous brotherly love look", making all the girls that were chatting with them melt completely at the sight of their tender gestures. With a quick movement with his wrist, Kyoya Ootori started writing down some notes in the notebook he constantly carried around.

Not too far from the twins, was Tamaki Suou, as expected, sweeping girls off their feet with his caring words and feral glances. Seventy percent of the costumers still designated him as their host, but Kyoya had interestingly noted that some costumers were slipping their eyes towards another member of the Host Club. Quickly, he wrote some observations down before gazing at another table.

Mitsukuni Haninozuka was, as estimated for any Host Club member, also surrounded by squealing and blushing girls. His attention, however, was, as always, locked with the cakes and sweets that were displayed on his table. It appeared that Mitsukuni was not even aware of how his adorable way of behaving affected girls. Kyoya, on the other hand, was pretty much alert about what was going on, and quickly wrote some annotations down.

Kyoya had also noticed that Takashi Morinozuka was not around, but he knew that Takashi was somewhere, surrounded by girls, while his eyes were locked with Mitsukuni. They were, after all, cousins, and it was Takashi's job to make sure that Mitsukuni was alright at all times.

Then, Kyoya's eyes finally rested on the last member of the Host Club. Haruhi Fujioka was gaining extremely popularity among the female students, all of them unaware of Haruhi's true gender. Kyoya had noticed that most girls were attracted to Haruhi because, first, she had the grace of a woman, and secondly, she seemed to understand girls in her own, unique way. Of course that all members of the Host Club knew that that was all due to the fact that Haruhi herself _was_ a girl, but it was not as if they could just verbalize that secret for everyone to hear.

Light crossed the lens of Kyoya's glasses as the boy turned his attention to his notebook, and started writing some comments about Haruhi. It seemed that that year was going to be very positive, but that had already been predictable.

"Kyoya-kun?" a voice called-out, and the heir of the Ootori family looked up from his notes only to see a group of girls standing close to him, all of them blushing and looking rather timid. "W-Would you like to drink some tea with us?"

The corners of Kyoya's lips curled up into a small smile as he closed his notebook, and put the pen on the pocket inside his jacket. Then, in silence, he nodded, and approached the group. He was, above everything else, a member of the Host Club as well, and it was his duty to see women smiling.

* * *

"Would you like some, Haruhi-kun?" a girl with long blonde hair asked, and a pair of chocolate-brown eyes turned to her in expectation. "What do you prefer; strawberry pie or chocolate cake?"

"Strawberry pie, please." Haruhi replied with a content smile and everyone around could see the hearts that showed up in the eyes of all the girls that were surrounding Haruhi. "Would you like a bit of tea? We just received Chinese Oolong, and I must say it's very good."

"Oh, yes please!" all the girls exclaimed, even though Haruhi had kept her eyes on the blonde girl, and she mentally sighed before smiling even wider. "Aww, _kawaii!_"

Still with the small smile on her face, Haruhi stood up from the chair, and excused herself with a small bow. As she started walking towards the grand table that Kyoya had chosen to display the various types of tea they had to the guests, Haruhi could not help but think again that rich people would always be a bunch of bastards.

It was not as if she did not enjoy making people happy, on the contrary, Haruhi had no problem in sitting around, pretending to be a man, and making girls laugh, but sometimes it _was_ annoying. Especially when she was a girl herself, and when facing some kind of behaviors from the female students, Haruhi could not help but be ashamed of her own sex.

"Chinese Oolong, please," Haruhi requested as she stopped in front of the table, and mentally gasped in surprise at the enormous quantity of tea that was being exhibited over the pearl-white towel. She seriously did not know there could be _that_ many types of tea, and all of them tremendously exclusive.

'_Stupid rich bastards,'_ Haruhi thought as she grabbed the tray that the garcon handed her, but when she turned around to return to her table, something caught Haruhi's attention.

Not too far from her position, sitting down on a strong root of a Katsura tree, was a young woman, who appeared not to be any older than Haruhi herself. However, on the contrary of everybody else, the girl was wearing a knee-length black skirt with a blue top underneath a leather black jacket. Her black boots were probably the main reason why no one was with her, but she did not seem bothered about it. Next to her feet was a small bag, her eyes locked with the sky while her bushy hair was streaming down her back.

For a moment Haruhi wondered if she should go bother the girl, but decided that it was not going to hurt to try. So, as she continued to hold the tray gently with both her hands, Haruhi made her way towards the girl, and noticed that she had a pair of rectangle glasses.

"Hum…hello." Haruhi spoke when she was closer to the strange girl, who blinked before gazing at her, revealing her dark-brown colored eyes. "Hum…are you lost or something?"

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you." the girl replied with a small smile, after a short period of silence, and Haruhi nodded before turning to her side, determined to return to her table. However, as soon as she gave the first step, Haruhi decided against it, and turned to the girl again.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Haruhi pressed, and the girl looked at her again, a new smile gracing her features as she shook her head.

"Apparently someone forgot to inform me that there was going to be a gathering to commemorate the beginning of the new school year." she started, "I'm not really dressed for this, so I decided to stay here."

"Hum…do you want to come with me?" Haruhi questioned as she turned to her right, oblivious of the fact Kyoya was watching her from his own table, and writing down some observations. "You don't need to be alone, you know?"

"I…" the girl trailed off, and Haruhi sweatdropped when she noticed that the girl was examining her up-and-down. Why did people always have to react like that when meeting her? It was becoming slightly irritating. "Sure, why not?"

"Great, come this way please." Haruhi said with a cute smile, and the girl nodded before grabbing her bag, and the two students quietly made their way towards the table. Despite her casual behavior, Haruhi could not help but notice the glances that the other students sent towards the new girl, who was currently sitting down on a chair that had "magically" appeared from out-of-nowhere.

"Would you like some tea?" Haruhi questioned, but the girl simply shook her head while saying that she was fine, and after serving the other girls, Haruhi sat down on her chair. "So, you haven't told me your name. I'm Fujioka Haruhi."

"My name is Azami. Hajime Azami." the girl introduced herself before pushing her glasses up her nose again, and Haruhi smiled at her. "It's my first time here, but you probably already understood that."

"Obviously." one of the other girls whispered, and Haruhi decided to start paying attention to everybody else as well; after all, that was the only way she was going to be able to pay off her debt.

"Haruhi seems to be drawing more and more attention everyday, eh?" Kyoya heard someone question, and the vice president of the host club looked up from his notes only to see Tamaki standing in front of him, biting his nails in nervousness.

"You were the one who had the idea of inviting her for this meeting," Kyoya pointed out as he continued writing something down. "But it's a good thing that we did; Haruhi is definitely becoming more famous among girls. You already lost five percent of your costumers, because they became more interested in Haruhi."

_"What?"_ Tamaki asked, completely shocked, but Kyoya simply smirked as he continued writing his notes down. "I don't even know if I should feel proud of her, or feel devastated because I'm losing to a girl!"

"You should be thankful." Kyoya replied before looking at the king, and push his glasses up. "If Haruhi keeps this up, she'll be able to pay her debt sooner than expected. And may I remind you, we're still at the very beginning of this new school year."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, then allow me to say you're doing an awful job." Tamaki retorted, looking at Haruhi with a depressed frown on his face. "I lost five percent…"

"And you'll be losing a lot more if you keep standing there, staring at Haruhi while your costumers are expecting you by the table." Kyoya started, glancing at the seven girls sitting around the huge round table that belonged to Tamaki.

"There's no way I'm going to lose to Haruhi." Tamaki said dramatically, with a fist against his chest, drawing more attention to him than the one that was necessary. Then, without bothering to explain to the public what was going on, Tamaki hastened to his table, and immediately started talking to his costumers.

Kyoya, on the meantime, tore his eyes away from Tamaki in order to gaze at Haruhi, only to see her chatting with the girl who was not dressed properly for the occasion. Light reflected on his glasses' lens as he looked down at his notebook, a smirk on his face. Things were definitely getting interesting.

He wondered if he would be able to add that to _someone's_ debt, but perhaps that was not going to be necessary.

**To Be Continued…**


	2. Hello

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

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I just want to leave here a small thanks to **Terenin** _and_ **SGCred**, who support me through thick and thin. You guys rock! Also, I decided to post this chapter now because I'm aware that the first one is definitely more like an introduction, so here it is! I hope you guys enjoy it.

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**Chapter 1**

_Hello_

With a content sigh, Haruhi left her apartment, and locked the door. She was already dressed in the male's outfit, and as she walked down the stairs to leave the building, Haruhi could not help but mentally laugh at the stares she was receiving from her neighbors. They were all supposed to be used seeing her in that outfit, but it seemed that everyday they would go through the same state of surprise.

Sometimes Haruhi wondered if that was because everyone was expecting her to follow the same steps as her father. Everyone knew that Fujioka "Ranka" Ryoki was a cross-dressing, but despite of his strange behavior, everyone esteemed him. And Haruhi loved him as well, although sometimes they did have their arguments. But then again, what kind of family did not have disagreements?

With a small shake of her head, Haruhi proceeded making her way towards the Academy, which thankfully was not too far from her house. All she needed was to catch the train, make a thirty minute trip, and walk for five more minutes. If she was lucky, she would have time to talk a little bit with Hikaru and Kaoru before the first class of that morning.

And so it was; almost forty-five minutes after leaving her house, Haruhi stepped through the main gates of the Ouran Private Academy, and was immediately engulfed by the sound of laughter, chatting and small squeals.

Even though she still called all those rich people "bastards", Haruhi could not stop the corner of her lips from curling into a small smile. The gardens of that place truly deserved the attention of all those that walked through them, and Haruhi absolutely loved to observe the flowers that embroiled the fountains as she walked.

"Haruhi!" a voice called-out, but before the girl even had time to look over her shoulder, two pair of arms wrapped around her neck, almost chocking her. "Good morning, Haruhi, how are you today?"

"Breathe…" the girl gasped, and both Hikaru and Kaoru looked confusedly at her before snickering as they dropped their arms. When she finally felt the pressure leave her shoulders, Haruhi took a long deep breath, and gazed at the twins. "Good morning to you, too. I'm fine, thank you."

"Great!" the twins exclaimed, and with a small yelp, Haruhi found herself being sandwiched by the twins as they pulled her into a tight group-hug. Despite the obvious discomfort, Haruhi could not help but smile slightly at the boys' behavior, and silently return the hug as well.

"Aww, _kawaii!_" various voices chorused, and Haruhi opened her eyes only to sweatdrop when she noticed that they had a crowd watching them. Hikaru and Kaoru, on the other hand, took the opportunity to give off the "famous brotherly love look" even though they were still hugging her.

The girls that were watching them, however, almost fainted at the sight, and Haruhi mentally sighed. People sure knew how to be loud at eight in the morning, and the Hitachiin twins sure were not helping.

"C'mon guys, we have to go." Haruhi said, but when she tried to step forward, she almost lost her balance, and she would have fallen down if the twins had not kept their arms around her. "C'mon, you can sweep girls off their feet at the club."

"Fine, fine, but you seriously need to relax a little, Haruhi-kun." Kaoru pointed out, and Haruhi sighed at his words before motion for them to follow her. The boys, however, slipped their hands down her arms before grasping her own hands, which only made more girls squeal and shout that it looked cute.

Haruhi, noticing this, sighed while the twins smiled widely at the crowd that was still watching them. Why she was always the only one to suffer every time the twins had an idea of how to display their affection was beyond her. Most of the days Haruhi truly did not mind, but to bother her with that kind of thing so early in the morning still got to her.

"So, Haruhi-kun, are you ready for the first class of the day?" Hikaru asked still with a smirk on his face, and Haruhi nodded as she allowed the twins to lead her to the classroom where Japanese Literature was going to take place.

"Hopefully both of you took a look at the books we're supposed to read during the year." Haruhi said with a sigh, and the twins shared a look before smiling at the girl.

"Always bright Haruhi-kun, you're right, we _supposedly_ took a look at the books." Kaoru started, and Hikaru continued, though Haruhi already knew what they were going to say.

"But of course that _supposedly _means _believed or reputed to be the case_ so…" Hikaru finished, and Haruhi sighed. "I guess you better keep on believing."

"Then again, who knows what's going to happen during this school year?" Kaoru asked as he opened the door of the classroom, and allowed for Haruhi to enter inside first.

"Yeah, many things may happen." Hikaru added, as he watched Haruhi sit down, and he quickly sat on the chair on the girl's right while Kaoru occupied the one on the left. "Someone once said that the best way to predict the future is to invent it."

"Alan Kay." Haruhi said with a short nod, before looking confusedly at the oldest twin. "I thought you didn't like History."

At that Hikaru chuckled while Kaoru shook his head, and after sending Hikaru one last suspicious glance, Haruhi took her books from inside her bag. Okay, that had been an awkward moment, for Hikaru to actually reveal that he had studied (even if it was just for a couple of seconds). What Haruhi failed to notice, as she stared down at the Japanese Literature book, was the thumbs up that the twins sent at each other, along with matching knowing grins.

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"Haru-chan!" Mitsukuni shouted as he launched himself at the girl's arms, but since Haruhi was not really expecting the glomp, both quickly fell on the ground. It was obvious that Mitsukuni had failed to notice Haruhi's flinch since he continued to hug her tightly with his short arms around her waist.

Suddenly, a hand appeared from out-of-nowhere, and Haruhi opened her eyes in surprise when she felt all pressure leave her. Standing right beside her, holding Mitsukuni by the back of his uniform's jacket, was non-other than the stoic looking Takashi Morinozuka.

"Hum, thank you Mori-sempai." Haruhi thanked, but the silent boy simply put Mitsukuni back on his feet before walking away, to his usual spot. Haruhi, on the other hand, stood up rather quickly and right on time since the doors of the Third Music Room doors were being opened.

As usual, a show of rose petals welcomed whoever was about to step inside the room, and the members of the Host Club quickly went to their places, more than ready to greet the person.

"Welcome!"

But only silence received their welcoming, and after a few seconds waiting, the whole club blinked. The doors were opened, which meant that someone from the other side must have had opened them, but if that was true then…

"Eh, where is she?" Hikaru questioned as he scratched the side of his head, Kaoru doing the same thing as he mentally questioned himself if something could be wrong with those doors.

"You, Haruhi, go check it out!" Tamaki ordered from the chair he had fetched in order to sit down when the doors were opened, even though everyone else was standing around him.

"Why is it always me?" Haruhi asked, but she decided that she did not want to hear the answer. Instead, she made her way towards the open doors, and peaked outside only to blink in confusion when her eyes meet a familiar pair of dark-brown orbs. "Eh, I know you!"

"Ah, sorry, I thought this was a music room!" the girl outside apologized, a soft pink shade on her pale cheeks, and Haruhi blinked at her embarrassment. "I better go."

"Your name is Azami, ne?" Haruhi questioned on the same moment the girl turned on her heels, ready to leave, and she saw the girl froze. On the contrary of the previous day, Azami was now using the required pale yellow dress while she held a couple of books against her chest. "You were at the meeting yesterday."

"A-ah, yes." the girl stuttered as she looked over her shoulder, still looking rather flushed. "I remember you too; you're Haruhi, right?"

"Yes, you can come inside, you know?" Haruhi asked as she motioned for the girl to step inside with a hand, but Azami just continued staring at her as if Haruhi was insane. The disguised girl, on the other hand, mentally sweatdropped. "This room is owed by the Host Club, which supervised yesterday's meeting."

"Oh." Azami mumbled, and Haruhi sweatdropped again; she did not seem very interested in that kind of information. This time, however, Haruhi decided to take charge, and grasped Azami's wrist before pulling the girl inside the room.

"Welcome!"

"Aw Haruhi, you have such an eye!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, both his hands resting against his left cheek, and Haruhi sweatdropped when the blond suddenly appeared in front of Azami. "My dear, allow me to welcome you in name of the entire Host Club."

"Err thank you." Azami said rather unsure of what to say, and this time Haruhi found herself chuckling at the girl's behavior. Azami was pretty much having the same reaction as she had had when facing the Host Club for the first time.

"As you probably well-know, this Host Club was created because prosperous people have too much time in their hands." Tamaki started explaining, and Haruhi shook her head at his words. "So, we are here, because our duty as handsome men with time to spear is to give hospitality to all lovely ladies who also have time in their hands."

"Oh." Azami muttered, and at this Haruhi had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing when she noticed that the girl was rather uncomfortable with Tamaki's proximity, since he was now holding both her hands close to his chest.

"You're a second year, are you not?" Kyoya asked suddenly, and Azami slipped her eyes off Tamaki in order to look at the vice president of the club, and nod. "So, you're going to be on the same class as Haruhi, Hikaru and Kaoru. And let me guess, none of you know who this lady is?"

The three Host Club members shook their heads in reply.

"But you know who she is, don't you Kyoya-kun?" Mitsukuni asked as he held his bunny against his chest, and Kyoya smirked before grabbing his notebook, and open it in a random page.

"Hajime Azami, sixteen year-old, heir of the _Lusitanian Star_, a business that builds ranches with small resorts all-over the world, and has some of the best specimens when it comes to horses that go from the Spanish Mustang to Lusitanos." Kyoya started to describe, and Haruhi glanced at Azami, only to see that the girl was staring surprised at the speaking boy. "You came in from Portugal a couple of months ago, and entered in the Ouran Private Academy due to your family's wealth."

"Oh, horses!" Mitsukuni exclaimed adorably before focusing his attention on Azami, a cute smile on his face. "Ne, do you have ponies too?"

"More importantly," Tamaki spoke suddenly as he turned to the newcomer, a sexy smirk on his face, and Haruhi shook her head once again, at his behaviour, "tell me, what type do you fancy?"

"Eh?"

"The wild type?" Tamaki waved a hand towards Takashi Morinozuka before motioning towards Mitsukuni Haninozuka. "Or do you prefer the loli-shota type? Or perhaps you're more interested in the little devils type?" both Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin smirked. "Or maybe you fancy the cool type?" at this, Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose.

Suddenly, Tamaki waved a hand towards Haruhi, who simply smiled at Azami.

"If you don't like the natural type either, than perhaps you're interested in," Tamaki stared right at Azami's eyes, and smiled seductively, "me?"

"I hum…I prefer none, actually." Azami finally confessed, and Tamaki opened his eyes wide in shock before reappearing at one of the corners of the room, his arms around his legs while a woe atmosphere surrounded him. "Hum…is he alright?"

"Yeah, don't worry; he does that all the time." Hikaru said with a small wave of his hand, but Haruhi blinked in surprise when Azami looked at her, almost pleading for her to help.

"Don't worry; Tamaki-sempai does that all the time." Haruhi reassured as she walked towards Azami, and rested a comforting hand on the girl's arm. "Would you like if I showed you around?"

"Better yet, why don't you stick around?" Hikaru asked, and Kaoru appeared next to him as he nodded.

"It's almost time for a snack." Kaoru finished before smiling. "We have delicious pastries, and the most delicious tea. Not to mention the coffee."

"Yeah, you could eat some cakes with me!" Mitsukuni exclaimed suddenly as he appeared in front of Azami, a very lovable smile on his face. "You can hold my bunny if you want too. Oh, and you can call me Honey-kun too!"

"Thank you." Azami said as she grabbed the bunny that Honey was handing her, and moments later, the boy dashed towards the quietest member of the host club. Haruhi, on the meantime, stood beside Azami. "Hum…is he on the right school?"

"Yes, Honey-kun is actually seventeen." Haruhi explained with a smile, and she almost laughed when Azami's eyes widened in surprise. Almost instantly, the girl looked at Honey, who was now sitting on Morinozuka's shoulders. "Trust me, things here are not always what they seem to be."

"So it seems." Azami said before gazing down at the bunny, and smiled softly. "Do you mind staying with me?"

"Sure!" Haruhi exclaimed, and Azami smiled gratefully at her.

* * *

"Oi, Haruhi!" a voice called-out, and the girl looked up from the book she was reading only to see Hikaru approaching her. "Since we don't have any work right now, do you want to drink some tea with me?"

"Eh?" Haruhi questioned in confusion, and she blinked when a dark shade of pink painted Hikaru's cheeks, and the boy coughed in embarrassment.

"I mean, with _us_. Do you want to drink tea with _us_?" the boy rephrased the question, and Haruhi looked behind him only to see Kaoru serving some tea while Honey devoured all the cakes that were on the table under Mori's attentive supervision.

With a smile and a nod, Haruhi put the book she had been reading down, but when she was about to stand up, Hikaru extended a hand towards her. Despite of the sudden confusion, Haruhi accepted the help, only to feel Hikaru pulling her gently towards the table. What Haruhi failed to acknowledge was the fact Hikaru only let go of her hand after she was sitting down.

"Ne, Haru-chan, do you want some strawberry pie?" Honey asked as he looked up from his plate, but before Haruhi could reply, Mori grabbed a napkin, and silently cleaned the boy's dirty cheeks.

"Or do you want a piece of this delicacy?" Tamaki questioned suddenly, as he raised a plate with a slice of cake inside. "It's called Victoria Cake, named after the Queen herself since she apparently favored a slice of the sponge cake with her afternoon tea."

"Hum… Sure, I guess…" Haruhi trailed off, and jumped in surprise when Hikaru emerged from out-of-nowhere, and handed her a cup of red tea. "Hum…thank you. Hum…may someone explain me what's going on?"

"Aw, innocent Haruhi," the girl twitched at that, "we all deserve a break from time-to-time you know? We have been working so hard. Don't you think we deserve a break?"

"At the beginning of the school year?" Haruhi questioned, and when Tamaki nodded, she sighed. "No, we have barely started working, why should we have a break?"

In a matter of seconds, Tamaki was getting depressed in one of the corners of the room, Honey standing beside him, staring curiously at the king. Kyoya, on the other hand, quickly took his notebook, and started writing something down.

"Eh, Haru-chan, do you want this now?" Honey asked when he noticed that Haruhi had finally finished eating the slide of Victoria Cake, and raised a plate with an enormous slide of strawberry pie.

"Hum, thank you Honey-sempai, but it's time for me to leave." Haruhi started after cleaning her mouth with a napkin, and then she stood up from her chair. "I need to go home, to prepare dinner for my father. But I promise tomorrow we'll eat strawberry pie."

"Yay!" Honey shouted, both his hands in the air, and Haruhi chuckled at his childish behavior before walking towards the chair where her bag was. When she was ready to leave, she walked towards the doors before looking over her shoulder.

"See you tomorrow." she said, her eyes glancing at the six members of the Host Club, and she turned the doorknob before walking away, closing the door silently beside her. What Haruhi had failed to notice though, was the glare Hikaru and Tamaki sent to each other as soon as she left their sight.

Kyoya, on the other hand, noticed very well the glare contest that was going on between the oldest twin and the king, and tapped his pen against his notebook. Behind him, Honey kept devouring pastries while Mori observed him silently, Kaoru sipping his drink without bothering to look at his older brother.

Things were indeed getting very interesting, and Kyoya could hardly wait to start enjoying the war that was about to burst inside the Host Club. All he hoped was that that same war was not going to affect his numbers, or else they would be in deep trouble.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. October

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

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I want to thank **Lyss**, **Sgurl** _and_ **SGCred** for your support. I hope I won't disappoint you with this fic.

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**Chapter 2**

_October_

Things were going quite smoothly, with barely any problem at all. Costumers kept coming in like waves, their wish of returning every day working like the fresh spray of the sea. Things were indeed going quite well, aside from the sudden rivalry that had emerged between both Hikaru and Tamaki.

It was easy for all the members of the Host Club, save one, to understand why the two boys had suddenly decided that they were rivals. The only thing was that their bickering was starting to worry the costumers, who were now beginning to try to comprehend what was going on in the Host Club.

And, as usual, it was up for Kyoya Ootori to make sure that no one ever found out the secret hidden by the Host Club. Only heavens knew what all female students that continuously requested for Haruhi would do if they found out that they were actually interested in a girl.

There was also something else that was now in need of some attention, and that was connected with a certain slightly chubby girl. Kyoya had no idea what had happened, but for the past month, Azami Hajime had been a constant in their club, always requesting for Haruhi. The only difference between her and all the other girls was that Azami usually showed up minutes before the club was closed.

Since she actually consumed pastries and tea, Kyoya had found it unnecessary to inform the girl that she could arrive earlier. Besides, everyone else did not seem to mind either; in fact, every time they were alone, Tamaki kept saying that it was good for Haruhi to have girl friends. And despite of everything, no one seemed to have anything to say in order to retort the king's words.

However, at the moment, there was another thing that required his attention, and no matter how much he disliked to do it, Kyoya knew that it was time. Every year, on the last weekend of October, the Host Club would prepare a small gathering, just for them. Honey had been the one to mention that a couple of years ago, and unfortunately the twins had found it amusing. Of course that now, with Haruhi around, the guys only had another reason to keep up with their gathering, and Kyoya could only comply with his part.

The only real problem was that it in that year it was Honey who was going to choose a subject for the gathering. And since Honey was…well, Honey, Kyoya knew that his idea would most likely involve cake and too much sugar.

With a small cough, Kyoya managed to gather everybody's attention, and silently he turned around on his chair in order to gaze at his friends in the eye. As expected, Hikaru and Tamaki were sitting on both sides of Haruhi, occasionally glaring at each other. However, since Haruhi was having a nice time chatting with Azami and Kaoru, she had failed to notice what was going on right under her nose. Honey and Mori were sitting in another table, the former one eating all the cakes while Mori started through the window next to him.

"As you probably already noticed, the time has come." Kyoya started, giving enough emphasis to his words so that almost everyone understood to what he was referring to immediately. "And this year, it's Honey's turn to choose a topic."

"Huh? I have to do what?" Honey asked; his voice muffled since he was talking with his mouth full. In silence, Mori handed him a cup of tea that the boy quickly accepted, and drank the warm liquid happily. "What am I supposed to do, Kyoya-kun?"

"We have precisely two weeks left for the last weekend of this month." Kyoya informed, and everyone blinked, some in confusion, others in anticipation, and others out of monotony. "Last year the Hitachiin twins chose a topic, and this year it's Honey's turn."

"Eh? It's finally my turn?" Honey asked, flowers floating around him while his eyes became large due to all the excitement. "Really? Yay! I can choose a topic!"

While everyone watched Honey jumping around, with sweatdrops, Haruhi glanced at Azami, only to notice the befuddled look on her face. For a moment she wondered if she should explain what was going on, but before Haruhi could even part her lips, Kaoru appeared next to Azami, and cleared his throat.

"This is not such a weird story as it may seem at first." Kaoru started when Azami looked at him, the confused expression still on her face. "You see, Honey had the idea of creating a weekend just for the members of the Host Club, and since almost everyone liked the idea, Kyoya really didn't have a chance to escape from it."

"For some unknown reason, Kyoya actually allowed us to choose the topic for the first gathering." Hikaru proceeded, as he continued sitting next to Haruhi, his left arm resting on the back of the chair. "We tend to believe he did it because he didn't want Tamaki to be the first, and Mori really didn't seem too enthusiastic about it."

"What? He did it on purpose?" Tamaki asked from Haruhi's left, and he immediately went white, his mouth dropped, his eyes widened in surprise.

"You sure look like _The Scream _of Edvard Munch." Haruhi commented as she continued to observe Tamaki's expression, since the boy also had his hands on both sides of his head. The twins, on the other hand, did not lose the opportunity to start poking Tamaki on his sides.

"Do you think he's dead?" Kaoru asked as he poked Tamaki's arm, and Hikaru poked the king's head before shrugging.

"Who knows? Maybe the shock was too much for him?" he asked back, and the twins shrugged at same time before resuming to the poking.

"Did you witness the first meeting, Haruhi-kun?" Azami questioned suddenly, and the disguised girl looked at her before shaking her head.

"No, but why don't you come too?" Haruhi questioned with a comforting smile, and suddenly Hikaru and Kaoru appeared on both her sides, with a thoughtful frown on their faces.

"Hmm, having a girl in our meeting?" Kaoru questioned as he rubbed his chin with his finger, Hikaru doing the same on the other side. "What do you say, brother?"

"That would be a first, but hey, who are we to complain?" Hikaru questioned, but he gasped when he saw Kaoru's hurtful expression, his cheeks painted with a soft shade of pink.

"Hikaru, are you…are you saying you prefer her to me?" Kaoru asked heartbroken, and in a cue Hikaru was holding his twin in his arms, a matching pink colour on his cheeks.

"I would never change you for a girl, Kaoru." Hikaru whispered, and Haruhi coughed at their behaviour when she noticed that Azami had looked away at the twin's actions. Then, Hikaru rested an arm around Kaoru's shoulders, and smirked as they turned to the two girls.

"But you know…" Kaoru started, and the twins finished the sentence together.

"…it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have a girl with us!"

"Slumber party!" Honey shouted suddenly, and a very uncomfortable silence fell on the room as everyone watched the boy running around with his bunny pressed against his chest. Then, Honey turned to Mori, a very cute smile on his face. "This way I can dress my bunny, and we can eat cakes all night!"

"A…slumber party?" both twins repeated before glancing at each other by the corner of their eyes, a sly glint on their orbs, and for a moment Haruhi could only dread about what was to happen.

The problem was that she could not remember if the twins had ever mentioned their mother creating nightclothes. Oh boy…

"Yes! Oh, yes! It's a brilliant idea!" Tamaki shouted suddenly, making a supposedly elegant dance before approaching Haruhi from behind, and rest his hands on her shoulders. "A slumber party is a splendid idea! Imagine all of us surrounded by pastries while wearing the most elegant nightclothes ever made! And imagine our Haruhi wearing a beautiful pink nightgown!"

At that Haruhi twitched, but before she could even think about something to retort, the twins appeared on both sides of Tamaki, and covered his mouth with their hands. Azami, who had been watching everything in silence, blinked at their behavior before standing up.

"I guess it's time for me to go." she spoke as grabbed the bag that was resting on the floor, beside the chair, "Thank you for allowing to stay here even though it's past the hour."

"Hey, Kyoya-kun, can Azami come to my slumber party?" Honey asked suddenly, catching the said girl unguarded.

"I'm not sure that's appropriated." Kyoya spoke up as he pushed his glasses up his nose, and Azami immediately shook her head.

"Thank you for the invitation, but accordingly to what you said, this party is only for the members." the girl started before smiling slightly. "I already appreciate the fact you allow me to come here after closing time."

"Aww, but it's my party!" Honey said stubbornly, holding the bunny even tighter with his small arms, and then he turned to Mori. "Takashi, can't she come?"

"If you want her to," Mori replied, but everyone sweatdropped at his words since it was obvious that he did not care much about the party and about whoever could appear to join them.

"It's settled then, you're coming!" Hikaru and Kaoru chorused, emerging from behind Azami, who jumped slightly in surprise at their voices. "And there's really no use in trying to run away, since we have every class together."

"And who knows? It may be fun." Haruhi finished, with a friendly smile, and Azami started at her for a short period of silence before smiling as well and nod shortly.

Moments later, Azami had already left the room, and almost immediately everyone focused their attention on Honey, who was now trying to feed his bunny. Apparently they had all noticed what would happen in that slumber party, but Honey, being the sweet-loving guy everyone adored, had failed to acknowledge that doom was all that existed behind his invitation.

"Is it just me, or we have a problem in our hands?" Hikaru questioned as he rubbed his chin in thought, Kaoru doing the same beside him.

"I agree; we _do_ have a problem." Kaoru said with a short nod, and Haruhi dropped her head at their behavior. They were great at pointing out the obvious, but hopeless when it came to actually fix the crisis.

But then again, she was not even sure she wanted to know what their idea to fix everything was.

"Oh, I know what to do!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly, and Haruhi mentally sighed.

Oh boy…

* * *

That was so not her day!

First, she had woken up late because her alarm-clock did not ring. Only heavens knew why she had not woken up by herself, like she always did, but she had slept in, and lost twenty minutes. Secondly, she had been forced to dress and leave her house without even stepping inside the kitchen, which meant that she did not have time to eat a fruit. Thirdly, she had missed the train, due to the fact she had slept in.

And now she had had the stupid idea of walking towards the bus stop, only to realize she had missed her bus because she had been two minutes late!

Yes, that definitely was not her day.

As she sat down on the metallic bench of the bus stop, Haruhi put her bag on her lap, and rested her chin on her hand. Another thing that was not helping at all was the idea that the boys had had in order to help Haruhi going to the slumber party without Azami actually finding out that she was a girl disguised as a boy.

Oh, she just could not erase from her mind the ruffles of the pink nightgown that had miraculously appear in the middle of the room. Uh, she absolutely detested ruffles, and the fact Tamaki had behaved like a pervert at the sight of the nightgown (which actually concealed all her body, save for the low neckline and the small straps) had not helped Haruhi looking at the situation through any other point of view.

"Haruhi?" a voice questioned suddenly, and the girl snapped from her thoughts only to blink at the sight of the car that had stopped right in front of her. For a moment Haruhi said nothing, her eyes locked with the red Ford Mustang, but then her attention turned to the driver.

"Azami?" Haruhi asked in both amazement and surprise, and the girl sitting behind the wheel smiled at her. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I think the question is; would you like a lift?" Azami corrected, but for a moment Haruhi just continued sitting on the bench. "Hum…I assume you're going to the Academy?"

"Uh? Oh yes, thank you." Haruhi thanked as she stood up, and made her way towards the car before sitting down on the passenger seat. It was only after Haruhi had put the seatbelt on, though, that Azami stepped on the accelerator, and continued driving.

For a long period, Haruhi just stared ahead, feeling the wind blowing her hair away from her face. Something strange was going on in there, but then again, Haruhi did not know Azami that well… But still, a rich girl in a commoner street? How could that be?

Well, she could have turned on the wrong street, and end up there, but that still did not make much sense. The rich part of the town was on the opposite side of where Haruhi lived, so what were the odds of Azami ending up on her side of the city at seven in the morning?

"Hum, Azami, may I ask you something?" Haruhi questioned, and Azami nodded without taking her eyes off the road. "What are you doing on this side of the town? I mean, you're obviously rich."

"I guess we all have our secrets." Azami answered, and for a moment Haruhi wondered what she meant before gulping when she noticed that Azami was glancing at her by the corner of her eyes. "The Host Club obviously hides more than it should."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Haruhi started, carefully enough not to agree with what Azami was saying. "The Host Club members may look weird sometimes, but they're all very nice, and it's our job to make sure everyone's happy."

"So I've heard." Azami replied, and Haruhi blinked when she saw the corner of the girl's lips curl up. "But…well, I know we don't know each other that well, but…may I ask what is a person like you doing in a place like that?"

That was a double-edged question, and Haruhi knew that giving the wrong answer would mean troubles.

"Actually, I met them without even wanting to." Haruhi started, smiling as well. "When I saw them, I thought they were so weird that I lost all my body coordination, and ended up breaking an extremely expensive vase. As a way to pay my debt, I accepted to work as a host."

"Oh." Azami muttered, and Haruhi mentally gulped even though on the outside she was still smiling. "I couldn't help but notice that all of them like you. How is it to work with them?"

"Being with them means never being bored." Haruhi clarified, "They may all seem like a bunch of weirdoes, who just love to tease girls, but they're all really nice. Besides, they helped me a lot, so working to pay my debt is something I do because I truly want to."

"They do behave as people who care for you." Azami commented, but Haruhi blinked when she noticed the slightly soft note on the girl's voice. "Say, did you decide what to do about the party? I noticed some of you weren't feeling very comfortable with the idea of me being present."

"Ah, Kyoya-sempai may look like he doesn't care about anyone aside from the Host Club, but he does." Haruhi said, smiling. "He really wants you to come, and Honey is already making all plans, counting with you."

"Morinozuka didn't seem too at ease with the idea, either." Azami stated as she turned right, and the Academy quickly came into view. Haruhi, at the girl's words, stood silent for a moment before smiling.

"Mori-sempai is a very quiet guy, trust me, he barely talks." she started explaining, "The only person to whom he opens up to is Honey-sempai, and trust me, not even with him Mori-sempai speaks much."

"Ah, alright," Azami whispered as she parked the car, and moments later the two girls left the vehicle. "Would you like to accompany me to the class, or do you want to go see your friends first?"

"I can walk with you, yes." Haruhi answered, smiling, before making her way towards the girl's side, but when Azami was about to turn to the school, Haruhi hold her arm. "And, Azami, I want you to know that I'm your friend, okay? And the rest of the guys are your friends too."

For a moment Azami just stared at Haruhi, in complete silence, and Haruhi wondered if she had been correct by being so straightforward. However, when a smile lightened Azami's features up, Haruhi could not help but release the breath she had been holding.

"Thank you."

As the two girls started walking, and were immediately surrounded by the noise of people chatting and laughing, Haruhi could not help but wonder what was going to happen from that moment on. After all, she had expressed that Azami was her friend, and that the Host Club welcomed her at any time, but for a reason Haruhi could not explain, she could not help but feel as if that was the beginning of chaos.

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Lose Control

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

I want to thank **patback409**, **LadyofDragon089** _and_ **SGCred** for all the support. I hope you enjoy this!

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_Lose Control_

"As you all know, Japanese literature traces its beginnings to oral traditions. That period of time, is called the Nara Period." the teacher explained as she stood in front of the blackboard. "We are going to study that period, and all the others that followed it; the Heian Period, the Kamamura-Muromachi Period, the Edo Period, and finally the Meiji Period to the present."

"This is all a bunch of crap." Hikaru whispered to himself before resting both his hands behind his neck, his eyes closing for a second. Then, without drawing attention to him, Hikaru glanced at the girl sitting on his left side, who was too focused in taking notes to notice that she was being watched.

He really could not explain what had drawn him to her. Hikaru often preferred to believe that it had something to do with the way Haruhi could easily tell apart who Hikaru was and who was Kaoru. Seriously, other than that, there was no other explanation for his feelings. He seriously did not feel attracted to way she smiled, and he seriously did not blush every time she touched him when talking or helping him with some difficult homework.

Nope, it was all because she could identify him and Kaoru apart when no one else could.

With a sigh, Hikaru focused his attention on the window beside him, but his eyes fell right on a reflection identical to his own. He and Kaoru were extremely close, and they had always had their little world, never allowing anyone to separate them. However, when Haruhi had showed up, and days started passing by, Hikaru had to admit that something had changed between him and his brother.

They were still together all the time, and worked together at the Host Club, and they obviously continued to show their "famous brotherly love look" to their costumers, but… With an annoyed sigh, Hikaru turned his eyes to his teacher, his chin resting on the back of his hand. Japanese Literature was so boring, and it truly did not help him to think about something else rather than in the girl sitting next to him.

Then, for some odd reason, Hikaru's eyes found a long bushy brown hair. Since she was a second year like him, Azami made part of his classmates. Nonetheless, and even though they had made it clear that everyone from the Host Club welcomed her, Azami still enjoyed sitting alone during certain classes. And by the way she was writing things on her notebook, Hikaru tiredly admitted that she probably enjoyed that class.

As he felt the need to yawn, Hikaru covered his mouth with his hands, and sat tiredly against the back of the chair. Heavens; that was torture! How long was that class going to take? All he wanted was to get away from that bloody hell of books and eras. But then again, there was nothing he could do; he and Kaoru often played drama in that kind of classes in order to leave earlier, but since there was no way they could talk while Haruhi was in the middle of them, Hikaru decided that it was better to close his eyes, and imagine that he was somewhere else.

Hum, perhaps that was not such a bad idea. Hikaru could very well close his eyes, and imagine him at the beach, putting sun cream on Haruhi's back while the girl wore a very cute swimsuit. Or perhaps he could imagine the two of them at the pool, swimming together, and splashing water together. Or he could just imagine…

"Hitachiin Hikaru!" a voice roared, and the boy fell off his chair in pure fright. When he looked up, however, Hikaru regretted ever starting to daydream; after all, his teacher was someone who he definitely did not want to anger. "If you want to daydream, you better do it out of my class!"

"I'm sorry." Hikaru apology, noticing that while Haruhi was staring at him with worry, Kaoru was watching him in confusion, "But I wasn't daydreaming, I was actually thinking about the Meiji Period, which actually represented the end of the Tokugawa era in 1867 or what is in 1868?"

"Then, next time think with our eyes opened, and your ears sharp." the professor replied, obviously still angered for having to interrupt her class to scold one of her students. "Don't forget to do your homework. Class dismissed."

"Hikaru, what was that all about?" Kaoru asked when the two of them walked past the doors of the classroom, and started making their way towards the Third Music Room. "I sensed that something was wrong."

"Nothing, that class was just boring." Hikaru answered before turning to his brother, and hold his chin gently. "I'm sorry for worrying you, Kaoru."

_"Kawaii!"_ various female voices echoed through the hall while Hikaru kept staring at Kaoru right in the eyes. However, the atmosphere was shattered when Haruhi emerged from the classroom, along with Azami.

"I seriously have no idea why you keep saying you don't like to study, when you always say the right thing when you're in trouble with a teacher." Haruhi commented suddenly, and Hikaru looked at her before grinning.

"It's nice to be the one to have the last word." he replied before wrapping an arm around Kaoru's shoulders, and Kaoru mimicked his actions, with a matching grin on his face.

As the four friends started making their way towards the Host Club, Hikaru glanced at Kaoru before gazing at Haruhi, who was currently laughing at something Azami had said. He knew that acting would mean hurting, but Hikaru knew that it was time to do something about his feelings.

All he hoped was that Kaoru would support him no matter what.

* * *

"Don't forget, tomorrow at eight pm sharp." Kyoya spoke as the group left the room, and everyone from the Host Club nodded. "You don't need to come already dressed. In fact, it would be too inconvenient for you to leave your houses already dressed in your nightclothes."

"But, Kyoya-sempai, you haven't yet told us where we're supposed to have this party." Haruhi pointed out, but she felt a chill run down her spine when Kyoya smirked at her at same time he pulled his glasses up his nose.

"Why, the gathering will take place in the Third Music Room, of course."

"Say what?" Haruhi asked, caught completely off guard. "Now, is it just me, or you're using this room to do more than just helping people? I mean, a door appeared from out of nowhere when Umehito-san showed up, not to mention the weird motor-thing Renge-san uses to show up once-in-a-while."

"You should be used to it by now." Kyoya replied, and Haruhi sweatdropped at his words. "Tomorrow, at eight. Don't forget to bring something comfortable to sleep in."

"Oh, Haruhi, do you want father here to take you home?" Tamaki asked as he appeared in front of the girl, and hold her hands without any delay. "It's far too late for someone to be wandering alone at this hour."

"Hum, thank you, Tamaki-sempai, but Azami said she would take me." Haruhi answered, not even bothering to try to free her hands from the boy's grasp. Nor was it needed; as soon as the words left her lips, Tamaki dropped his mouth, and dashed to a corner of the hall feeling completely miserable.

"Eh, ignore him." Hikaru spoke up when he noticed Azami raising an eyebrow when Tamaki hugged his legs. "You'll get used to it soon, trust me."

"Yay tomorrow is my slumber party!" Honey shouted suddenly before jumping forward so that he was facing Haruhi. "Haru-chan, are you going to bring something for us to eat? Because I really, _really_ like your food!"

"Hum, sure, I can make something." Haruhi replied, still a little unsure, and Honey immediately started jumping around in happiness before stopping abruptly when he turned to the disguised girl again. Everyone could not help but sweatdrop when Honey yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes in a cute manner.

In a silent cue, Mori appeared behind the small boy, and pulled Honey up, sitting him on his shoulders. Even though he had opened his eyes wide when he was pulled up, Honey closed his eyes again when Mori rested his hands on the boy's knees, to steady him.

"See you tomorrow." Mori said with a small nod before making his way down the hall, until he disappeared. It did not take long for Hikaru and Kaoru to leave as well, leaving Haruhi, Azami, Kyoya and Tamaki alone.

"I guess it's better for us to go as well, ne?" Azami questioned, turning to Haruhi, who nodded, and after bowing in goodbye, the two girls left. Kyoya was about to follow suit, when Tamaki suddenly rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Kyoya, I need some help." Tamaki started as he kept staring to the floor, blond bangs covering his eyes slightly, and the vice president turned to him. "I don't know what's going on; Haruhi barely pays any attention to me."

"I knew you were going to ask for help sooner or later." Kyoya said, turning to his side in order to face the king, who sweatdropped at his words. "I was in fact starting to wonder when you were going to start doing something."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tamaki questioned, raising his head in order to look at his friend and comrade, also revealing his slightly confused frown. Kyoya, on the other hand, simply stuffed his hands on his pants' pockets before smirking.

"I recognize that ever since you found out about Haruhi's true gender that you changed." Kyoya started, and Tamaki twitched at his choice of words, "Of course that you have always tried to convince yourself that you must be a fatherly figure for Haruhi, while we're at school…"

"And I am!" Tamaki started, "I have to make sure no one ever finds out about Haruhi's secret. Have you ever thought about what may happen to her if our costumers find out they were interested in a girl? That could be the end of Haruhi. And let's not mention the Club!"

"Interesting…" Kyoya started, his hands still stuffed inside the pockets, and then he turned fully to Tamaki. "It's interesting to see how you put Haruhi above everything else, including the Host Club. I've always known you're a bit narcissist, but it is fascinating to see that you put a girl above all your ideals."

"That's only because Haruhi is more than an ideal!" Tamaki retorted, and Kyoya's smirk widened just a bit while a flash of light crossed his glasses' lens.

"Then, perhaps it is the fact that you're plain obvious, and Haruhi is plain oblivious that is stopping her from noticing the efforts you're doing to stay close to her." he started, "After all, the twins still spend more time with her than you."

"No!" Tamaki exclaimed with a drama pose, but Kyoya simply waved a hand in goodbye before leaving the king all by himself. Without any delays, Tamaki fell on his knees, his hands also resting against the cold marble of the floor.

He seriously needed to figure out what was happening with him, because Tamaki was sincerely beginning to believe that he would grow insane if he did not.

* * *

It was with a smile that Azami watched Haruhi sit down on the passenger seat, wearing a pair of baggy brown pants and a huge t-shirt, which was various sizes bigger than her, with a long-sleeved shirt underneath. When she had first seen Haruhi, Azami had been perplexed by her choice of clothing, but had decided to keep quiet. Besides, at the time, Azami did not know Haruhi at all, so it would only have been rude if she had commented something.

However, since one month had passed ever since their first encounter, Azami could now admit that Haruhi and her were indeed friends. At the beginning she had felt as if she had been intruding; after all, at first sight, the Host Club resembled to a grouping created by a bunch of insane people who had crudely included Haruhi in their group. But now Azami could not be happier; everyone was still strange to her, as they kept showing even weirder behaviors every day, but they were "her weirdoes", as she kept telling herself.

The trip was made between laughter and long chats. Azami had come to the conclusion that, just like her, Haruhi simply loved to read. The only big difference (aside from the fact Haruhi was a member of the Host Club, while Azami refused to be a customer) was that Haruhi actually enjoyed studying while Azami preferred to listen to the teacher's explanations during classes.

"So, with whom do you get along better?" Azami asked suddenly, as she stopped in a semaphore due to the red light, and turned to Haruhi. "I mean, are you closer to any of the other guys?"

"Well, I think they're all pretty much on the same standards." Haruhi started, after thinking for a moment. "I mean, it's impossible not to fall for Honey-sempai's cuteness, and the twins are too funny. Kyoya-sempai may be scary sometimes, but he's alright, and Mori-sempai is a very good friend too, despite of his quiet manner."

"And Tamaki?" Azami questioned at same time she noticed the light turning green, and she immediately focused her attention on the road again. "Are you good friends with him?"

Now that was a very interesting question. Sometimes it looked as if they were the best of friends, but then something would happen, that would drive Tamaki mad and Haruhi confused. Some thing like the day when they had decided to go to the beach and Tamaki had grew angry at her just because Haruhi had decided to help the three girls.

Yes, how was her relationship with Suou Tamaki?

"Haruhi?" Azami called out, and the other girl snapped from her thoughts only to notice that Azami had the door of her side opened. "We're here. Do you want to have the party outside the Academy?"

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about something," Haruhi apologized before leaving the car as quickly as she could. Moments later the two girls were already standing in front of the doors of the Third Music Room.

"Now that I think about it, why were you so afraid of entering here on the first time you came here?" Haruhi asked as she opened the door, only to be attacked by rose petals, and for a moment she blinked. Haruhi had seriously hoped there would be no petal shower on that night, but apparently some things never change.

"Well, it's not everyday that you open a door only to have _that_ reception." Azami answered, obviously referring to the petals, and Haruhi chuckled at the justification.

"Welcome!"

Haruhi would have most likely fallen on her face, if Azami had not walked right after her. As soon as the petal shower faded away, the two girls found themselves staring right at the six elements of the Host Club, and behind them were…

_'Beds?'_ Haruhi thought as she stared at the beds, all of them with different shapes and different blankets. Unconsciously, she pulled the strap of the bag of her sleeping-bag closer to her, and mentally sighed, _'Stupid rich bastards.'_

**To Be Continued…**


	5. Before the Dawn

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

I want to thank **Erizibang** and **SGCred** for everything. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_Before the Dawn_

That was indeed a very interesting evening.

Honey was wearing a pair of pajamas with bunnies all-over it while the sheet of his small bed had the face of a huge bunny right in the middle. In fact, even the bed seemed like a bunny, especially the headboard that had the format of a bunny's head with ears. Mori, being the complete opposite of his cousin, was wearing a black pajama, while his kind size bed was a normal one, with black sheets.

As for Kyoya's bed it was, surprisingly, like Mori's; it was plain, with a navy-blue cover and white pillows. Even Kyoya's pajama was a simple matching shade of blue. Maybe he and Mori had made it clear that they were going to wear the same thing in order to show that they were far more mature than everyone else. But then again, perhaps that was not true.

From that moment on, though, things went down hill.

Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin had decided to wear matching pajamas, both of a deep red shade. They were even wearing two identical sleeping pearl-white hats. They had one single bed, but on the middle of the wooden headboard were their names. Even their pillows had their names written down on the pillow-case, with smilies surrounding the names. In fact, even the red bed cover had yellow smilies scattered everywhere.

As for Tamaki, apparently he had made no effort to hide his wealth. His fantastic king size bed was of pure dark wood, and had an impeccable chaste white bed cover; various pillows were leaned against the headboard that had the form of a crown. In the middle of the cover, however, was a huge red rose with smaller petals flowing around it. Pretty much like Tamaki's pajama's, which was pearl white colored, but had a red rose on the left side.

"Welcome, princesses." Tamaki welcomed, but he quickly showed up in front of Haruhi, and held her hands tenderly in his. "You may go to the changing rooms, and shock us with your dashing pajamas."

'_Stupid rich bastards,'_ Haruhi thought as she allowed Hikaru to take her to the nearest changing room, while Kaoru lead Azami.

"_Psst_, Haruhi," Hikaru whispered even though they were walking side-by-side, and Haruhi looked at him. "Listen, my mum designed a pajama just for you. Sadly it's not like the one we showed you before."

Oh dear, that did not sound good.

"Hum, alright." Haruhi answered in her normal tone before stepping inside the changing room, closing the curtain behind her. She knew that Azami was on the changing room next to hers, and for a moment Haruhi wondered if the twins had a pajama for her as well.

However, when she turned to the mirror in front of her, Haruhi widened her eyes in shock. They just had to be kidding her! She was so not going to wear that piece of clothing! What were they expecting? For her to dress that _thing, _and blow her cover up?

As she took her own pajama from inside her bag, and started stripping off her clothes, Haruhi found herself staring at the pajama again. She could not believe that the twins' mother had actually designed such thing; it was simply a very tight and short shirt, with buttons, and a pair of minuscule black shorts; that not to mention that the shirt's neckline went lower than the usual shirts.

"Stupid rich bastards," Haruhi muttered as she dressed up on her baggy pajama's pants that were red on the left side and blue on the right side, and then she reached out for the matching baggy shirt. After making sure she was presentable, and that nothing could reveal her real gender, Haruhi stepped out of the changing room.

"No! You don't have the pajama on!" Tamaki shouted suddenly, and Haruhi tensed up immediately, her eyes finding the tall blond instantaneously. Automatically, Tamaki started laughing nervously. "Oh, hum…hehe, I mean, you look dashing, princess."

"He's doomed." Kaoru whispered suddenly, and Tamaki froze at the words while Hikaru nodded, while looking suspiciously at the king.

"Yep, _way_ doomed. I would run for my life, if I were him."

At that Tamaki gulped, and immediately went to Kyoya's side, while the vice president kept taking some notes. Haruhi kept staring at Tamaki with an unreadable expression for quite some time before turning to her side when she heard curtains being pulled aside.

Surprisingly, Azami left the changing room wearing pretty much the same kind of pajama that Haruhi was wearing, baggy and perfect for comfort. The only difference was that Azami's was blue. However, before Haruhi could even think of something to say, Hikaru grabbed her wrist, and started pulling her towards the place where the beds were displayed. Behind them, Kaoru was requesting for Azami to walk with him.

"And these are your beds!" Hikaru shouted suddenly, motioning to a dark space with a hand, and Haruhi blinked when lights were suddenly turned on, revealing two beds. Thankfully both of them were pretty simple, although Haruhi could not help but twitch when she noticed that her bed was completely pink. The wood was a pale shade of pink, but the cover was magenta colored while the pillows, that aside from having the same color as the cover, also had her name written in purple.

What was it with people thinking that every living girl loved pink? Well, at least they had had the decency of giving Azami a bed free of pink, since her was white with periwinkle blue covers and pillows.

Haruhi simply did not want to know where they had gotten the information from to do that.

"So, what are we supposed to do?" Haruhi asked, determined not to look at her bed anymore, and she turned to the rest of the club. Silence, however, was the only answer she received. "Hum, you don't know what we're supposed to do?"

"Karaoke!" Tamaki exclaimed suddenly before running his fingers though his hair, in a sensual manner. "I would love to enchant you all with my beautiful voice!"

"No!" both Hikaru and Kaoru shouted suddenly, covering Tamaki's mouth with their hands. "No singing! Why don't we dance instead?"

For a moment there was only silence, and everyone inside the room could swear they could hear the birds chirping outside.

"What? It's a good idea!" the twins shouted, but everyone just continued staring at them.

"Cake!" Honey shouted suddenly, as he started jumping up-and-down on his mattress. "I'm hungry, let's eat!"

In a cue, various stomachs growled, and everyone stared at each others before beginning to laugh, all of them looking rather red due to the embarrassment. Everyone except for Kyoya, who was too busy snapping his fingers, and Mori, that was watching Honey with a bored expression.

"Let's eat!" Hikaru and Kaoru exclaimed suddenly before pointing to the table that appeared magically at the end of the room, with candelabrums all over it. As the lights from the ceiling started becoming faint, Haruhi started wondering what the guys did to make everything spring from the ground.

"Yay!" Honey shouted enthusiastically when various types of pastries and tea came into view, all of them displayed on the table. Then, the juvenile boy run to Haruhi, and grabbed her hand. "Haru-chan, come eat with me!"

"Hum, alright." Haruhi said with a quick nod before allowing Honey to choose the chairs they would occupy. As she sat down, though, Haruhi failed to notice the competition that was going on between Tamaki and Hikaru, as the two of them struggled to reach the empty chair at her left.

* * *

With a small laugh, Azami watched Honey carrying Haruhi to the middle of what had become the dance floor, much for Tamaki and Hikaru's disappointment. It did not take long for Hikaru to drag his twin to the dance floor while Tamaki started dancing all by himself, which ended up being quite amusing to watch.

Kyoya, on the meantime, had decided to dedicate himself to math, since he was observing the leftovers that were still displayed on the table, and writing non-stop on his notebook. Mori, on the other hand, was still sitting on the chair next to Azami, observing everything while holding a glass with juice.

For a moment, Azami could not help but wonder about what a person like Morinozuka could be doing in such a host club. He was really quiet in comparison with all the other boys, not to mention that he appeared to be the kind of guy who would definitely prefer silence over that uproar.

Silently, Azami looked down at her hands; Mori was one of the few with whom she did not talk to. The twins and Haruhi were on the same year and classes as her, and that had helped their bonding. Honey was simply too adorable, and had quickly deserved a place in Azami's heart. Tamaki, even though he was a bit too narcissist for her licking, truly seemed to want to make everyone happy, and they were now building up their friendship.

However, the same could not be said about Kyoya and Morinozuka. Azami could not say why, but Kyoya plain scared her, with the easiness he seemed to have when it came to find a person's background. Mori was simply a mystery to her, since Azami would always spot him watching over Honey with an uninterested mask on his face, although his eyes had the attention of a hawk.

"Takashi!" Honey shouted from the dance floor as he kept dancing with Haruhi, and the said boy snapped back to reality with a small groan. "Why don't you dance? Azami-chan is looking rather bored!"

Before Azami knew it, Mori had stood up from his chair, in slow motion since he did not even bother to hide his laziness. In silence, Azami watched him stretching a hand to her, in an unvoiced invitation for her to dance with him, and she smiled at him.

"You don't have to dance with me if you don't want to." the girl started, raising both her hands in the air, but she blinked when Mori grabbed her right hand, and forced her to stand up. Silently, he pulled her gently to the dance floor, and before Azami could even process what was going on, they started dancing.

As she watched Mori dancing, Azami could not help but wonder if he had some sort of problem with coordination. He just kept on making weird dance moves, some even extremely funny, but when she glanced around, Azami could not help but smile sheepishly when she noticed that everyone was making weird dances.

Perhaps that was their idea of having fun when alone?

With a small shrug, Azami started dancing as well, trying to match Mori's movements, only to give that idea up when she understood that it was impossible. Everyone around her was laughing at each other's behavior, so Azami decided that it was not going to hurt if she did the same.

As she laughed at her own performance, Azami decided to make a twirl only to find herself losing her balance, and fall backwards. A small yelp left her lips when she landed on the hard floor, and quickly started massaging her lower back with a small wince.

"Azami-chan, are you okay?" Honey asked as he appeared next to her, Haruhi staring at her with concern as well. And Azami would have replied that she was alright, if it had not been for the two strong hands that suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders, and helped her to get up from the floor.

In confusion, Azami looked at Mori, who only took his hands off her shoulders when he was sure that she could stand on her own. In a matter of seconds, Hikaru and Kaoru appeared as well to see what was going on; only Tamaki kept on dancing while Kyoya was too focused in the numbers to pay attention to his surroundings.

"You know, alcohol is not an option in these parties." Hikaru started, his hands resting on his hips while his eyes were locked with Azami's form. Kaoru nodded in agreement before continuing.

"Did you bring something we didn't see?" he asked, and Azami could not help but blush faintly at their accusation, but before she could even think of something to say, Haruhi stepped in.

"C'mon guys, let her be." she said before turning to Azami, and smile. "It's late. I think it's time for us to go to bed, don't you agree?"

"But I'm not sleepy." Honey spoke up before yawning loudly, and Azami found herself gazing at Mori in time to see him looking from her to Honey as he picked the small boy up. "Really, I'm not…"

The last word faded out as Honey closed his eyes, and leaned his head against Mori's chest. In silence, the tallest boy carried Honey to his bed before covering him with the sheet. Then, without bothering to say something to his friends, Mori walked towards his own bed, but when he sat down on the mattress he looked at the group.

"Good night."

And with that, he lay down on the bed, and covered himself with the cover.

"Well, I guess we should do the same." Kyoya commented suddenly as he stood up from his chair, and pulled his glasses up his nose. "Let's go to bed. Tomorrow we'll have to clean this room up so that we can start working on Monday. We have a long path ahead."

In order words, that meant that they had spent more money than they should have spent to do that party, and now they needed to gain what they had lost.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever man." Hikaru said with a small shrug before turning the music off, and consequently Tamaki fell on his face since he had been doing a pirouette on that exact second. "Yo, dance boy, time to go to bed."

"What? But I'm not even tired!" Tamaki complained before noticing how Haruhi looked from him to Azami, a smile gracing her features.

"Let's go to bed, Azami-chan." Haruhi said softly, and the other girl nodded. Together, they made their way to their respective beds, and moments later Tamaki and Kyoya did the same.

What not most people noticed, was the way both Hikaru and Tamaki watched Haruhi lay down on her bed, still chatting with Azami, until both girls decided that it was time to rest.

Then, there was nothing but darkness and silence.

**To Be Continued…**


	6. Imaginary

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

I want to thank **SGCred**, who has been a constant helper and a great friend. Thank you, girl!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_Imaginary_

After yawning tiredly, Haruhi slapped herself slightly on the cheeks to force herself to wake up. She had spent two hours at the library, to conclude the study she had started on the previous day, and now, even though Haruhi could say she was ready for the exam on the next day, she was also ready to cuddle in a corner, and sleep.

But sleeping was the last thing she could do; hence the fact Haruhi was doing her best to look presentable. Kyoya, being Kyoya, could very well decide that her aspect was scaring her customers away, and add that to her debt, and that was certainly something Haruhi did not want.

After taking a deep breath, Haruhi turned the doorknob down, and pushed the door forward only to blink in cheer confusion. A sensation of déjà vu quickly run through her veins, as Haruhi found herself staring at pine trees, embellished with lights, while snowflakes continued falling from the ceiling. A chilly breeze was also blowing from some place Haruhi could not see, and right in the middle of the room where the members of the Host Club.

Thankfully, this time, they had decided to stick with their uniforms, although they had added scarves and matching gloves to protect them from the low temperatures.

"Welcome!"

"What happened here?" Haruhi asked as she stepped inside only to wrap her arms around herself almost immediately as she started shivering at the wintriness inside the room. "Is this supposed to be a Christmas dream or something?"

"Eh, it's only Haruhi."

At that, the girl sweatdropped, but she recovered when she felt something warm wrap around her shoulders. In confusion, Haruhi looked behind her, only to see Hikaru standing there, and around her shoulders was a garnet colored scarf. Surprisingly, it was beautiful; with its dark shade of red, and black roses all around, obviously made by hand.

"Mother did this for you." Hikaru quickly explained as Haruhi continued to examine the scarf, but she was forced to look at the boy when she noticed that he was handing her a pair of garnet gloves. "And allow me to say you look elegant."

"Hmm, thanks." Haruhi mumbled, not really sure of what to say since she rarely liked the clothes that the twins gave her. Hikaru, though, simply smiled at her before making his way towards his twin.

"Say, how was this done?" Haruhi asked as she watched snowflakes falling gently around her, some even falling on her hair, and in a cue Kyoya appeared next to her, holding his usual notepad.

"Fake snow is indeed something very useful." the boy started, and Haruhi looked at him as she put the gloves on. She really was not that fond of cold places. "All we need is a central piece of the snow making, which is the fan assembly. That's what's going to convert the air/water mixture into petite droplets and blow it out."

"Ah." Haruhi mumbled, not really understanding half of the explanation, and Kyoya smirked before pushing his glasses up his nose. Then, the girl looked up at the ceiling, and mentally asked her mother if she was actually going to leave the Academy as sane as when she had gotten in.

"Haruhi!" Tamaki exclaimed before starting to dance around, "What do you think? This chilly atmosphere is fantastic for you to curl yourself in a kotatsu, and welcome the warmth of the quilt. Even these snowflakes make you want to stay close to the fireplace."

"We don't have a fireplace in this room." Haruhi pointed out, and Tamaki smirked at her before waving his hand to his left side. "Or perhaps we do have one now…" Haruhi mumbled in nervousness before widening her eyes in surprise when a fireplace did indeed appear close to the tables they would use to associate with their customers.

'_Stupid rich bastards.'_

But if there was something Haruhi knew, was not to voice her thoughts in those situations. After all, Kyoya seemed to find it very pleasurable to remind her of her massive debt every time she found one of their ideas completely bizarre.

Thankfully it did not take long for customers to arrive, and for every member of the group to go to his own table, and sweep every girl off her feet with daring moves or soft words.

"My princess, not even all the hot chocolate of the world would have the same effect as you do in warming me up in such cold day." Tamaki spoke up as he caressed the cheeks of his female customer, who was blushing by now.

"T-Tamaki-kun…" the girl whispered, and the boy stared down at her with his eyes shinning with love.

"Oh, imagine, princess, the two of us sharing a quilt while reading poetry, and enchanting each other with the pure melody of love!" the boy exclaimed, his face now even closer to the girl's.

"Tamaki-kun…" the girl whispered, hearts reflecting in her dark eyes while the three other girls that were watching started sighing dreamily, obviously wanting to be the next to feel the warmth of the king's words.

"So, are you going to do a dance party?" a girl asked, and Haruhi, who had stood up to go grab some warm drinks for her customers, saw the twins talking to two girls. "I heard you did the same in April, last year."

"Yes, and we're going to do precisely the same thing." Hikaru started, with a sexy smile on his lips. "We're going to book the entire central hall of the Central Building…"

"…and we'll make sure it will be even better than the ball done in April." Kaoru finished, and suddenly the twins turned to each other, Hikaru holding Kaoru's chin.

"Although, I wanted to make sure we spent Christmas alone, just the two of us." Hikaru whispered, causing Kaoru to blush.

"Oh, Kaoru, I would love that too." the younger twin confessed.

"Aww, _kawaii!_" the two girls shouted, hearts flying around their heads. "Brotherly love looks so beautiful surrounded by snow!"

"Ne, do you like my scarf?" Honey asked as he looked down at his yellow scarf with purple bunnies all around it. As usual, he was holding his bunny with an arm, but he quickly put the plushie on the table as he started to inspect his scarf.

"Honey-kun, you're so cute!" the two girls that were with the boy exclaimed in chorus, and the Honey smiled cutely at the two of them. "The scarf is very adorable too!"

"I bought it with Takashi!" Honey expressed before looking over his shoulder, and spot Mori standing in front of the table that was beside the fireplace, and he waved a hand in the air. "Takashi!"

Slowly the silent boy turned to his side, and made his way towards the table. Still with a lovable smile on his face, Honey jumped to Mori's arms before sitting down on his shoulders.

"Takashi, let's drink hot chocolate together!" Honey exclaimed, hugging Mori around his forehead, and Honey's customers squealed at the sight in front of them.

"Haruhi-kun, do you want to go to the dance party?" a girl asked suddenly, and the disguised girl looked away from both Honey and Mori to her customers, only to notice they were all expecting an answer.

"Yes, I believe so." Haruhi replied with a small smile.

"Would you like to come with me?" the same girl questioned, and Haruhi blinked. "It would be such a dream if you accepted to be my date!"

"Sorry, I don't think I should." Haruhi started, raising a hand in the air, and then she smiled. "The dance party will be done so that you can find those who can make all your dreams come true. The members of this host club are here just to make sure you're happy while waiting for your prince."

At that, the three girls blushed, all of them with an expression of admiration on their faces.

* * *

"So, what are we going to do for this dance party?" Hikaru asked as he watched Kyoya typing non-stop on his laptop while Haruhi looked around in awe; no matter how many times they did that, she was always surprised with the quickness and natural way that things used to show up and disappear.

Like the fake snow and the pine trees…there was absolutely no evidence that could reveal that something like that had once existed in the Third Music Room.

"Yes, because it must be even better than the party dance we did last year." Kaoru added, with a finger pointed to the ceiling right next to his cheek, and moments later both twins had a thoughtful frown on their faces.

"Why don't we use fake snow again?" Honey asked as he appeared next to Kyoya, his bunny pressed against his chest. "The princesses kept mentioning that the snowflakes were very cute. I think they liked them."

"Hum, yes, that could be an idea." Kyoya spoke without looking away from the small screen of his laptop, and Honey cheered at the agreement. "We could also put various pine trees around the building, their lights lightening the halls."

"What about an ice rink?" Hikaru asked suddenly, and Kaoru widened his eyes in surprise before nodding. "People could ice-skate during the party."

'_Crap.'_ thought Haruhi, only to repeat that same word in her mind when Kyoya voiced that the idea was out of the ordinary, and that it deserved some investigation.

"Hum, that would not actually require us to skate, right?" Haruhi questioned as she glanced at her friends, but she gulped when she saw a flash of danger cross Tamaki's purplish-violet eyes.

"As a host, you need to show how seriously you take the job, and how serious you are." Tamaki started with a determined look on his face. "Last year you learnt how to waltz, so you have exactly one week to learn how to ice-skate, because if you don't…"

"People will start getting suspicious," both Hikaru and Kaoru finished, and Haruhi sweatdropped, "And we know how much you hate the thought of being demoted back to trivial chores."

_'Stupid rich bastards.'_ Haruhi thought, already knowing that all they wanted was to see her dressing up like a girl. However, since her presence as a boy was required in that dance, Haruhi knew there was no point in trying to escape from the Host Club.

"You know, Haruhi-kun, it's not that hard to ice skate." Hikaru started as he walked towards the girl, and shrugged. "First, you need to find your center of gravity. I believe that's the most crucial thing to learn because without balance you'll never manage to stand up straight on the ice. Secondly, you have to try to walk, regardless of how silly that may sound. If you learn how to do that…"

Hikaru's voice faded away as Mori approached the window that was closer to his position, and stared at the sunset. Since there were no pastries around, he did not need to keep a sharp eye, and watch Honey like a hawk. So, for a couple of minutes, he allowed himself to relax his tensed muscles, and observe how a rainbow seemed to have been painted in the sky.

Just like Haruhi, he had always found those kind of events completely unnecessary. In fact, if it was not for Honey, Mori would very well excuse himself from all the commotion, and stay at home, reading a nice book. However, there was absolutely nothing he could use to be absent in that party.

Suddenly, something caught Mori's attention, and he gazed down only to see a familiar girl walking alone through the main gardens of the Academy. Apparently no one had noticed that Azami had not showed up to drink tea with them.

As he crossed his arms against his chest, Mori continued to watch Azami walking slowly through the empty garden, an apathetic mask on his face. Actually, it seemed that no one had noticed that Azami behaved in a very strange way; she drove her own car, she was always all by herself when not in the Host Club or in the company of Haruhi and the twins, and she definitely did not take the direction to the rich part of the city.

Despite of his lack of interest in the upcoming party, Mori found himself wondering if Azami was going, and if that was indeed the case, with whom. It was not uncommon for girls to show up either with their female friends or with an accompanying person. However, since apparently Azami only spent time with the host club members, Mori could not help but question himself about it.

But then again, it was not as if the answer would mean anything to him. And so, when Azami disappeared through the open gates of the Academy, Mori focused his attention on his friends in time to see Hikaru teaching Haruhi the best positions to skate while Tamaki struggled to get the girl's attention.

Mentally, Mori sighed; some things would simply never change.

* * *

With a tired sigh, Haruhi lay down on her bed, and quickly pulled the covers up to her chin before closing her eyes. She seriously hated when people forced her to do things she did not enjoy, but at least Hikaru was patient enough when teaching her how to ice skate. Such could definitely not be said about Tamaki, who just seemed to want her to know everything from the start.

Haruhi furrowed her eyebrows at the name of the king of the host club. He was, to put it simple, plain weird. He kept saying he was watching her like a father watches over his daughter, but sometimes he was too perverted. Haruhi had once decided not think about his behavior anymore, but every time she thought about it, she would recall the day they had spent at the beach.

The day when he had yelled at her, not bothering to hide his concern…

And it was those small moments, regardless if they involved fights or not, that forced Haruhi to think about Tamaki Suou. It was not as if she wanted to think about those memories, but she just could not stop her mind from returning to the past.

And it would be also in those moments that Haruhi would question herself about why on earth she would think about Tamaki of all people. Especially since Hikaru was such a gentleman …well, when he wanted to, and when he was sure no one was looking at him.

In annoyance, Haruhi turned to her side, and covered herself completely with the blanket, her right hand resting on the pillow, closed into a tight fist. She had joined the host club in order to pay her debt, nothing else.

But if that was indeed all, then why did her mind kept focusing in all those little moments she had shared with Tamaki every time she closed her eyes?

**To Be Continued…**


	7. Understanding

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_Understanding_

After one week of hard work, flowing ideas, disagreements and decisions, it was time to open the Central Building of the Oustan Private Academy to its students. It had been determined that the party should began just after sunset, and that, as usual, it would be Tamaki the one to make the introduction speech.

What Haruhi had not been expecting, while she waited for the bus, was to encounter Azami, who was, once again, driving to the Academy, dressed up in a sapphire-blue Chinese dress with an indigo-blue scarf around her arms. Her bushy hair, although still slightly wild, had now more preeminent curls. Even the frame of her glasses had been exchanged for a dark-blue one, to match with the dress.

"Hum, how did you know I was going to be here?" Haruhi asked as she looked confusedly at Azami, who chuckled but still did not take her eyes off the road.

"I didn't. I have to use this road every time I want to go to the Academy." she explained, and Haruhi blinked at the words; now that did not make much sense. If she used that road that meant she was living in the commoners' side of the city, and according to Kyoya, Azami did have money…

But now that Haruhi was actually thinking about it, she could not help but notice that she did not know much about Azami. They were friends for four months now, and yet it seemed as if they were too busy keeping secrets from each other…but then again, who was Haruhi to talk? She was hiding a secret as well.

As she thought about her and Azami's friendship, Haruhi looked through the closed window beside her. It did not take long for the trip to reach its end, but when they reached the entrance of the Central Building of the Academy, Haruhi was forced to bid farewell since her presence was required somewhere else.

Moments later, Tamaki's voice echoed through the whole, dark hall.

"To all you, little butterflies, who have gathered here tonight, at the Ouran Host Club Christmas Dance Party," suddenly, light revealed Tamaki at the top of the main stairs of the hall, and he bowed in respect, "welcome."

Suddenly, lights started to lit up, on by one, revealing the crowd of students, all dressed up for the occasion, and that were staring at Tamaki in expectation. As girls started cheering and clapping, an orchestra, hiding in one of the furthest corners of the hall started playing a melody while all the members of the Host Club bowed, silently welcoming all the ladies and gentlemen.

"We wish you to enjoy this dance with all of our host club members," Kyoya started, raising his hands slightly in the air so that all attention could turn to him, "We hope you may enjoy this night, and the joy the gifts we have chosen for you. Also, at the end of this ball, the lady who caught our attention as the most fair will receive a special gift."

As girls started squealing, most of them probably recalling the events of the last dance party, Haruhi sighed. She sure did not like those events…

"Aww, Haruhi, you're going to enjoy this one, we're positive of it," both Hikaru and Kaoru spoke suddenly as they pulled the girl into a group hug. "You just wait."

And for some reason, Haruhi could swear that the host club members were up to something.

* * *

Everyone was having fun. Apparently the idea for the ice-rink had been accepted immediately, although not many people had expected for a huge rink to be displayed right in the middle of the rink. Some people were ice-skating, extremely gracefully, while others just kept ice-skating to pass time. On the right side of the rink, students could also been spotted dancing the waltz, while on the left side were others talking and enjoying the exquisite cooking that Kyoya had chosen especially for that occasion.

"Hum, Haruhi-kun." a timid voice called-out, and the girl tore her eyes from the ice-rink only to see a blonde girl standing not too far from her, a blush on her pale complexion. "W-Would you like to dance with me?"

"Of course." Haruhi replied, but when she raised a hand to grasp the girl's, she felt all air leave her lungs when someone suddenly pulled her into a strong chest before dragging her away.

It was déjà vu all over again.

"What are you doing?" Haruhi asked when Mori put her down, but she sweatdropped when she noticed that she was inside the changing rooms. "What are you guys thinking?"

"Hush now, and dress this." Hikaru interrupted as he handed a bag to the girl, who stared at it in confusion. "You better do it quickly because we don't have much time."

As a way to prove their point about rushing, the twins grasped Haruhi by the arms, and pushed her inside one of the changing rooms while the rest of the boys just waited in silence. Knowing that there was no point in questioning them about what was going on, Haruhi decided to look at what was inside the bag.

And then she wished she had not.

'_Damn stupid rich bastards.' _

"Haruhi, you're allowed to spend one hour in that outfit." Kyoya started, his hands stuffed inside his tuxes' pockets. "After that, you have to change to your male clothing again, in order not to draw too much attention."

"If anyone asks, we'll say that you're indisposed, and needed to get away from the party for a little while." Kaoru continued, and Hikaru nodded.

"And when you return, we'll be able to give the biggest present to the girl we think it's the most cute!" Honey exclaimed, excitement clear in his voice.

"I hope you realize that if something goes wrong, it will be your fault." Haruhi pointed out as she pushed the curtain aside, and Hikaru's mouth dropped while everyone smiled at her. "Are you sure I'm okay in this?"

Without bothering to wait for a reply, Haruhi turned to the mirror inside the changing-room. The dress was a tea pink shade, really pastel, with images of red petals all over the skirt. The dress had absolutely no straps, and it left her back bear if not for the three red small strings that connected the two sides of the dress. However, since Haruhi was now wearing a wig with long brown locks, her back was not easily seen unless she twirled around.

"Come here, we're not finished yet." Kaoru said suddenly as he grasped the girl's wrist, and force her to sit on a chair. Then, just like it had happened in the previous year dance party, the twins took care of the make up while all the other boys just watched.

And in less than ten minutes, everyone was back to the central hall, now in the company of the real Haruhi.

"So…what am I supposed to do?" Haruhi questioned, and Hikaru quickly stepped to her side before extending a hand to her, and bow slightly in respect, a smile on his face.

"We dance."

* * *

With a small smile, Azami watched as the lights and music made that place seem as if it belonged to some other galaxy. The melodies were quite comforting, the lights offered rainbows of colors while couples dancing appeared to emanate some sort of content aura through their smiles.

As she crossed her arms against her chest, Azami continued gazing around, noticing that every member of the host club was dancing with a girl, minus Haruhi. In fact, Azami had not seen Haruhi ever since they had arrived to the Academy…

"Azami-chan!"

Suddenly, a pair of short arms wrapped around Azami's neck, and the girl would have fallen backwards, if two strong hands had not caught her by the shoulders. As her glasses slipped down her nose, Azami looked from Honey to who was standing behind her, only to face Mori.

"Hum, thanks." Azami mumbled as Honey jumped to the floor, and she took the opportunity to push the glasses back to their rightful place. Mori simply nodded in silence before dropping his arms to his sides.

"Azami-chan, let's dance!" Honey shouted energetically as he clasped the girl's hand with his own. Even though he had a wide and cute smile on his face, Azami could not help but wonder how it would be to dance with Honey when he only reached her waist.

"Sure, Honey." the girl said, though she was positive there was no point in saying a thing since Honey was already dragging her to the dance floor. However, when Azami was about to grab Honey's hands, Mori appeared from behind his cousin, and put Honey on his shoulders.

"This way we can dance together!" Honey clarified with a huge smile, but Azami kept staring at the two of them completely perplexed while Mori looked utterly bored. Wordlessly, Mori raised his right hand before resting it on Azami's hip while grasping her left one with his on above the girl's shoulder. Then, the dance began.

Since Honey was still on top of Mori's shoulders, observing their every move with a finger close to his lips, it was hard for Azami to focus in what she was doing. Mori, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease, as he continued staring at the girl in the eye.

That was indeed the host club's job; to make sure every girl was happy.

But there was something odd about those two cousins; aside from the fact they were poles apart from each other, they also seemed to have completely different goals. And yet there they were, showing how much close they were regardless of their differences…

"Cake!" Honey shouted suddenly, and before someone could actually do something, the boy jumped off Mori's back, and disappeared in the middle of the dance floor.

Slowly, Azami glanced up at Mori, only to see him staring at the path Honey had taken to disappear, and silently she decided to step back. Azami was pretty much aware of how seriously Mori took his job of watching over Honey, but when she was about to step away, Mori pulled her back to him since he was still holding her hand.

"You don't need to keep dancing with me." Azami started, with a small smile. "I know it's your job to watch over Honey."

"Yeah…" Mori whispered, but Azami blinked in surprise when he pulled her closer as he proceeded with the dance.

As they continued dancing in the middle of all the other couples, Azami found herself gazing at Mori again. Surprisingly, he was looking back at her, with a very strange look on his face. But since Azami had already been observing all the other members of the host club, she had noticed that all of that had that same expression; a smile on their lips, a serene spark on their eyes…

A look that every girl wished in their dreams…

A look of someone who cared…

And even though all Azami wanted, was to question Mori about what a person like him could be doing in a host club, the girl decided against it. Haruhi had once told her that Mori was a quiet guy, not very talkative, and Azami guessed that that was why most girls found him attractive.

He was the silent, slightly anti-social bachelor every girl wished for.

And Azami actually sweatdropped when she noticed the crowd of girls that were watching her and Mori dancing. In fact, there were crowds of girls everywhere, observing each element of the host club closely, probably waiting for their turn.

For a moment, Azami could not help but think that the Ouran Academy was indeed one of a kind.

When the song ended, Azami felt Mori stop dancing, and she looked away from the crowd of girls to stare at him. It was a weird feeling, to be standing in front of a boy who had gladly accepted to dance with her. Usually guys preferred prettier girls, who looked absolutely debonair in their dresses, and it was quite common for Azami to spend long hours leaned against a wall, observing the ball.

But this time it had been different, and it was not only because of what Mori had done. However, when Azami caught herself staring at the boy's coal orbs, she shook her head, and gave one step backwards; he was doing his job as a host, it was as simple as that.

"Thank you, Mori." Azami whispered, as she continued staring at the boy, now with a small smile, and then she turned on her heels before making her way towards the closest balcony. Behind her, girls struggled to be the first to reach Mori, and be the next one to dance with him.

After pushing the white curtain aside, Azami walked through the open doors of the balcony, and rested her hands on the handrail. After taking a deep breath, Azami glanced at the clouds on the dark sky, and pressed a hand against her chest.

It was all part of the job…

* * *

After making sure no one could spot her from behind the pillar, Haruhi jumped from her hiding place, and hastened towards the balcony. However, since she was not used to dresses or high heels, Haruhi found herself stepping on the dress, and she stumbled through the open doors of the balcony before falling on her face.

Not exactly the best entrance, but at least no one had seen her leaving the hall.

"Are you alright?"

Then again, for her luck, someone just _had_ to be at the balcony, and see her _impressive_ entrance.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Haruhi mumbled as she stood up, and when she looked up, she froze when her eyes meet a pair of familiar orbs. Okay, now she had to play it cool. "Hum…shouldn't you be inside?"

"I'm not a big fan of these events." Azami answered, and after a short nod, Haruhi went to her side, her right hand resting on the handrail. "Are you sure you're alright? Your forehead is rather red."

"Hum, yeah, I'm great, I'm used to that." Haruhi replied as she laughed nervously, unconsciously caressing her forehead with her fingers, and Azami chuckled at that. "Hum, am I interrupting anything?"

"No, not all," Azami replied with a small shake of her head, before gazing at the sky, "I was just observing the clouds."

Silently, Haruhi mimicked the other girl's actions, and stared at the dark ocean above. Almost immediately, she started thinking about her mother, wondering if she was proud of her daughter but then…

"May I ask you something personal?" Azami asked suddenly, and Haruhi tore her eyes away from the clouds, a confused expression on her face. She knew she could not behave the same way she behaved when pretending to be a boy, but that did not stop Haruhi from smiling as she nodded.

"Of course."

"Aside from the fact you have a debt to pay," Haruhi felt all air leave her lungs, "what makes you stay around the host club, Haruhi?"

Oh no, she was _so_ doomed.

And she had to think fast too.

"I-I…That's not my name," Haruhi stuttered before mentally kick herself; that sure sounded convincing, and Azami turned to her. "My name is…err Haruki. Yeah, my name is Haruki."

"Alright, Haru_ki_," Azami started, but Haruhi noticed the emphases that the girl gave to the name, "I think you're about to lose something."

In confusion, Haruhi watched Azami touch her wig, and pull it to the left side with a gentle pull. It was with a sweatdrop that Haruhi understood that her wig had moved to the side due to her fall, and she immediately started laughing nervously.

"Oh hum…hehe, thanks." Haruhi thanked, a hand resting on top of her head, but it only took a couple of seconds for her nervous smile to be replaced by a worried look. "Oh please, don't tell anyone about this. If they found out I'm a girl, the Host Club will be in danger. Please, I really just want to pay my debt, and leave them alone."

"You're more worried about them than about what could happen to you if the owners of the Academy ever found out that you're a girl?" Azami asked, and Haruhi nodded without delay.

"I know they are very weird, and may seem insane sometimes, but I really like to help them." Haruhi expressed, and Azami kept staring at her. "So please, don't tell anyone about this. I just don't want to be more of a burden to them."

"Hum… Well, I know something that can assure you that I won't tell your secret." Azami started, a thoughtful frown on her face, and Haruhi entitled her head to the side in confusion. Then, a smile enlightened Azami's face. "Oh I know, in exchange of your secret, I'll give you mine. You have been wandering why you keep finding me in the commoner side of the city, right?"

"Hum…yes." Haruhi replied not really sure of what to say, and Azami gazed at the clouds before focusing her attention on the other girl again.

"Well, I'm actually living in the commoner side of the city." she started, and Haruhi blinked at her words. "No one knows about it, not even my parents, because I know they wouldn't understand."

"Err and why are you living on the commoner side?" Haruhi questioned, not really understanding what was going on, and Azami shrugged before replying.

"It's simple; I hate being rich."

W-Wait. Say, _what?_

* * *

"Well then, ladies and gentlemen, our lovely night together is now reaching its end." Kyoya started from the same spot he had been occupying when Tamaki had welcomed everyone. "And now it's time to reveal who is the lucky girl who's going to receive the most awaited gift."

Girls and their dates immediately went to the centre of the hall, and gazed as every member of the host club joined at the top of the stairs, all of them with wicked smiles on their faces. Only Haruhi was not present, in her male clothing, and everyone glanced at Kyoya, waiting to see what he would say to explain the girl's absence.

"Unfortunately, Haruhi-kun is feeling unwell, and apologies for being unable to participate in this last event." some girls started whining, but Kyoya simply continued, "After long hours examining each one of our princess, and after a long debate, the host club has finally decided who's the lady who shall receive our special gift."

With her right hand, Haruhi pushed the curtain aside, and stepped inside the hall only to see everyone watching Kyoya. Moments later, Azami appeared behind her, but while Haruhi stepped forward, Azami kept holding the curtain above her head with the back of her hand.

Suddenly, Kyoya stared right at Haruhi, who blinked at his stare.

"_Aww, Haruhi, you're going to enjoy this one, we're positive of it," _the twins' voices echoed in Haruhi's ears, and the girl gulped,_ "You just wait."_

"The lady who has caught our attention is," lights were suddenly directed to Haruhi and Azami, and the corner of Kyoya's lips curled up into a mischievous smile, "Fumiko Harumi!"

'_Fumiko…Harumi?'_ Haruhi mentally repeated as she tried to shield her eyes from the blinding light with a hand, and everyone turned to her as they started to applaud. _'Oh mother, what on earth are these stupid rich bastards thinking?'_

"And the gift we have for this lovely lady," Kyoya's voice echoed above the applauses, "is a kiss from each member of the host club."

'_Is what?'_ Haruhi shouted in her mind, completely shocked, but before she could even move a muscle, Hikaru and Kaoru appeared behind her with playful smirks while Honey did not waste any time pulling Haruhi into an extremely tight hug.

"See, we told you, you were going to enjoy this night." the twins chorused, and Haruhi looked at them as if they were insane before noticing Mori approaching her with his face blank of any expression, Kyoya and Tamaki following him quietly. Around them, girls were screaming and squealing, some even fainting, as they anxiously waited for the outcome of what was going to happen.

"You know, Tamaki-kun, I think you should hurry up." Kyoya commented as he pushed his glasses up his nose, and the blond looked at him in confusion. "After all, Hikaru can try to give Haruhi her first _real _kiss."

"What?" Tamaki asked before staring at Haruhi, and cry out in shock as he watched Hikaru grabbing the girl's chin, and turn her face to him. Their faces were already too close for comfort. _"No!"_

Without wasting another second, Tamaki dashed as fast as he could towards Haruhi and the others, a hand stretched forward. All he could think about was stopping that kiss, and consequently Tamaki failed to noticed the peel of a banana on the floor, and thus stepped right on it. Due to the velocity he was running at, Tamaki fell forward, his hand stretched forward on the same moment, Honey raised his head to observe both Hikaru and Haruhi.

"Eh, you're going to kiss her already, Hikaru-kun?" Honey asked in confusion, and while Hikaru simply looked at the little boy with a smirk, Haruhi gazed down at him. However, when she looked down at Honey, Haruhi also saw Tamaki coming towards them… well, more like falling forward, and then everything happened in a second.

Tamaki's hand connected with Honey's back, pushing the boy forward, causing his lips and Haruhi's to meet.

Then, there was only silence.

Tamaki, when he noticed what had happened, went into complete shock, his mouth dropped while his eyes were huge like plates. Hikaru blinked before sighing while Kaoru scratched the back of his head. Mori merely blinked at the situation while Kyoya, once again, pulled his glasses up his nose.

"Oh, Honey-kun, I'm really sorry!" Haruhi exclaimed as she broke the kiss, but the little boy simply raised a finger to his lips, a thoughtful frown on his face. However, before Haruhi could say something else, Honey looked at her, and surprised her with his characteristic cute smile.

"Haru-chan! I like you too!"

And there was no need to say that that Christmas party ended up with a lot of girls squealing at the 'cute moment' while Tamaki went to his corner of woe. That had been indeed a very different party, with some understanding and some peculiar events.

**To Be Continued…**


	8. The Only One

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_The Only One_

Silently, Kaoru looked up from his book, his golden eyes finding his twin instantaneously. The two of them were sitting on a bench just across one of the many fountains of the Academy, supposedly ignoring everyone by reading a book respectively. However, and even though for everyone else Hikaru was in fact reading a book, Kaoru knew that there was another reason for his older brother to have his nose stuck in a book.

And the reason was inside the book, hidden in the middle of the pages in order not to catch any avoidable attention. Kaoru also knew what Hikaru tried so hard to hide in the middle of the book, but simply refused to ask his twin what had forced him to do what he had done, so many months ago.

During Honey's slumber party…

Yes, Kaoru could still remember very well seeing Hikaru approaching Haruhi's bed, and watch the girl sleeping soundlessly, and completely unaware of her surroundings. Kaoru also recalled Hikaru taking some pictures of Haruhi, not even bothered with the fact that the girl was in fact asleep.

Kaoru knew that his brother was taking pictures of Haruhi not because he was some sort of pervert, but because he still did not know what to do about the girl. It was plain obvious that Hikaru liked Haruhi, but all those long years staying away from everyone had stopped the twins from developing ways of getting attached to people.

And thus Hikaru had decided to take a few pictures of Haruhi, as a way of looking at the girl, and not getting caught while doing so. Of course that for Kaoru his brother had decided to do something rather silly, but it was not as if he could blame Hikaru for dealing with his feelings through the only way he knew.

And that was why Kaoru had decided to keep quiet.

After all, even though they were extremely close, sometimes even behaving as if they had one single body, they were still different. And that made Kaoru recall Tamaki's words that no matter what, there _is_ something that distinguishes him from Hikaru…

…Individuality.

Yes, Kaoru knew that Hikaru was aware of Tamaki's crush, and Kaoru also knew that his twin was still struggling to figure out what to do. Yes, because even though it was obvious that Hikaru liked Haruhi, it was also understandable that deep inside all Hikaru wanted was to make sure that he did not lose the connection he had with the girl.

All of a sudden, something caught Kaoru's attention, and the boy turned his head at same time two distinct laughs tingled his ears. Haruhi and Azami was sitting on the opposite side of the fountain, their backs turned to the twins as they kept laughing and talking, Azami holding a piece of paper with both her hands.

Gradually Kaoru focused his eyes on Haruhi, and the corner of his lips twitched into a small smile. After the Christmas ball, Haruhi had explained to everyone that Azami was aware of the club's secret while the foreign girl had swore secrecy. Ever since that event, that Azami showed up in the Third Music Room, and talked to Haruhi for long hours, which showed that the two girls were definitely getting closer.

However, the more Haruhi and Azami got along, the more silent Hikaru grew, and more confusions would Tamaki create for not having Haruhi's attention. And their behaviours were, for lack of words, odd because both Hikaru and Tamaki had been the firsts to accept Azami, and welcome her as Haruhi's girl friend.

"Hikaru," Kaoru called out, his eyes still locked with Haruhi, who was currently pointing at something in the paper that Azami was holding, and his twin gazed at him, "Do you still want to do something about Haruhi? I really don't think it's healthy to keep thinking about her, and allow your feelings to consume you like that."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Hikaru mumbled, and Kaoru smiled sadly at his twin's behaviour before turning to him. "Stop that. What has gotten into you to start talking about that?"

"Because I know we owe a lot to Haruhi, even though she's not aware of it." Kaoru started calmly, and slowly Hikaru closed his book at same time he lowered it, "She gave us our individuality, and I understand if that's what made you fall for her."

"I didn't fall for her." Hikaru answered, and even though his tone was controlled it was easy for Kaoru to notice the hint of irritation in his twin's voice. "Why don't you stop annoying me about this?"

"Why don't you stop staring at the pictures you took at the slumber party?" Kaoru asked back, and he saw Hikaru blink in surprise before looking away, a very faint pink shade on his cheeks. "You know, I don't blame you; Haruhi is a very sweet girl, who knows how to captivate people around her even unconsciously, but I still don't think you should let your emotions bottle up like that."

"Stop it." Hikaru hissed, and Kaoru carefully rested a hand on his twin's arm as he shifted closer to him. "Don't say another word."

"Remember how you behaved when we met Arai?" Kaoru asked suddenly, but Hikaru continued looking to the opposite side. "Remember how you reacted? That reaction is what it's forcing me to talk to you right now, because we both know what will happen if you keep this up."

"Just because I can't have her, doesn't mean I can't dream about it." Hikaru muttered heatedly, and Kaoru parted his lips to speak before deciding that a moment of silence would be better. However, moments later, he moved even closer to his twin, and rested his hand on Hikaru's chin, forcing his older brother to look at him.

"Do you recall the reason why the lord created the host club?" Kaoru questioned suddenly, Hikaru's eyes locked with the grass even though Kaoru was still holding his chin. "It was created because our duty, as the members of the club, is to provide hospitality to all exquisite ladies."

"What does that have to do with Haruhi?" Hikaru asked, finally focusing his attention on Kaoru, who lowered his hand before waving it in direction of the fountain. In confusion, Hikaru looked at the fountain in time to see Haruhi and Azami laughing at something. However, both girls quieted down when Tamaki showed up from out of nowhere, along with both Honey and Mori.

"Haruhi may be a member of the host club, but she is, above all else, a girl." Kaoru started, Hikaru's attention still focused on the said girl, who was now chatting with Tamaki. "And it's your job, as a true member of the club, to make sure she's happy."

When Hikaru did not say anything, Kaoru glanced at Haruhi, and smiled sadly as he watched her laughing at something Tamaki was telling her. Yes, it was time for Hikaru to understand that some things are simply not meant to be.

* * *

"Azami-chan, do you want to go with us?" Honey asked suddenly as he continued holding his stuffed bunny, and the said girl stared at him in confusion. With a wide smile, Honey continued, "Takashi and I are going to a ranch, and since you know everything about horses we thought you could come with us!"

"Go to a ranch?" Azami repeated before glancing up at Mori, who looked back at her before nodding shortly. "I would love to go. It's been such a long time since I last rode a horse, and I miss it."

"Then its settle, you're coming with us!" Honey exclaimed before turning to Tamaki and Haruhi, and interrupted their conversation to invite them to go as well. Mori, on the other hand, looked from Honey to Azami, only to see that she was still looking at him.

"What?"

"Nothing," Azami blurted out, but Mori raised an eyebrow slightly at the sight of her pink cheeks and uncomfortable behavior. "I just didn't know you had a ranch here, that's all, and hum… I wanted to thank you for inviting me."

"Mitsukuni wanted you to come." Mori explained quickly, and Azami stared at him only to see that he was watching Honey again, since the boy was now running towards Hikaru and Kaoru. "He wants to see everyone happy."

"But I didn't know one of you owned a ranch." Haruhi spoke as she blinked, and Tamaki smiled before sitting next to her, and gaze at the sky.

"I'm the owner of one ranch, but we're going to Kyoya's." the blond said, and Haruhi immediately looked suspiciously at him; the king and the shadow king, owners of _ranches_? That was so not the picture she had had in mind… "Oh, it's true! When I was a kid, I loved horses and Kyoya…well, I don't know why he has one, but he does!"

His explanation sure still did not convince Haruhi, since she continued staring at him apprehensively.

"When are we going?" Azami questioned, and Mori looked at her before answering with one single word.

"Tomorrow."

"What? _Tomorrow_?" Haruhi asked, caught completely off guard. "B-But don't we need to plan things previously? I mean, it's a ranch!"

"You've never rode a horse, have you?" a voice asked suddenly, and everyone looked to their sides only to see Hikaru and Kaoru standing close to Tamaki while Honey walked to Mori's side.

"It's not that!" Haruhi exclaimed in defence before crossing her arms against her chest, "I just think that something like this should be planned carefully. I sure don't want to return home with broken bones."

"I would never allow something bad happen to my daughter!" Tamaki exclaimed before pulling Haruhi into a hug, and Hikaru took the opportunity to sneak to Haruhi's other side.

"Besides, you can always ride with one of us." the oldest twin started, a sneaky smile on his face, and Tamaki immediately stopped hugging Haruhi as an angry mask replaced his happy face. "I sure wouldn't mind giving you some lessons."

"You pervert, you get away from her!" Tamaki started, but Haruhi interrupted him as she turned to Hikaru with a small smile on her face.

"I appreciate it, but I think I would prefer if Azami was the one teaching me."

Almost instantly, both Hikaru and Tamaki froze in time.

"I hum…sure, no problem!" Azami said, in a nervous attempt to break with the silence that had suddenly surrounded the whole group, and Haruhi smiled gracefully at her. "It would be a pleasure to help you."

Of course that in that moment, no one had ever thought about the consequences that would result from that innocent trip to the Ootori ranch….

…Until they went there.

So, after a good night, dreaming about the next day, the group had reunited at Haruhi's house in order to departure together to the ranch. And once there, the chaos started.

As expected, after showing the ranch to his friends, Kyoya had slipped into the shadows, and stared writing in his notepad every time he noticed something new. Honey was running around, revealing the huge amount of sugar that was in his blood system, while Mori watched him with a blank expression on his face. The Hitachiin twins were already riding two stallions, both of a deep brown colour, while Haruhi was observing the rest of the horses with Azami. Tamaki, on the contrary, was busy trying to choose the best horse for Haruhi.

"This one is the most suitable for you, Haruhi!" Tamaki called-out, and the two girls turned to him only to see that he was pointing towards a white mare. "She's half Arabian and Andalusian, the best for you!"

"Actually, I was thinking about this once." Haruhi mumbled as she glanced at an Arabian brown horse, and Tamaki immediately went to her side, rambling something about Haruhi having a great eye. Azami, on the other hand, took the opportunity to slip away, and observe the variety of horses in the stable.

"Oh, hello," Azami whispered when she saw a very familiar horse, and she quietly made her way towards the animal. She really did not need a piece of paper to tell her that the horse in question was a Lusitano; the long noble head, the large generous round eyes, almost almond shaped, and the fine clean legs with excellent dense bones were some of the characteristics that revealed the breed. Besides, its beautiful creamy colour was absolutely glorious…

With a small smile, and with careful gestures, Azami raised a hand, and caressed the horse's muzzle. The girl's smile widened when the horse returned the caress, and a small giggle left Azami's lips when the horse tried to nuzzle her shoulder. There was absolutely no need for her to go check the other horses; that was the one she was going to ride.

"Azami-chan, look!" a voice shouted enthusiastically, and Azami rested a hand on the horse's neck before looking behind her, and see Honey holding the reigns of a grey pony. "Let's go ride!"

"Yes!" Azami said, allowing Honey's enthusiasm to start flowing through her veins, and as he bounced, Honey left the stable while guiding the quiet pony. Still smiling, Azami turned to the horse again, and looked at the name incrusted in the small door that reached her waist. "Aeton, eh?"

"A myth name of one of Pluto's horses; it means 'swift as an eagle'." a voice explained, and Azami looked to her side only to see Kyoya there, staring at the horse. "I assume that you chose this one because it reminds you of home?"

"I guess it does, yes, but I don't know…I think Aeton and I are going to be good friends." Azami answered before running her hand down the horse's neck, and Kyoya pushed his glasses up his nose before nodding.

"Mori-sempai is going to help you." Kyoya indicated, before turning around, and walk towards Haruhi and Tamaki. However, when Azami was about to open her mouth to speak, she felt a presence on the other side of the horse.

"Excuse me." Mori said, and Azami stepped backwards as the boy reached out to open the door, and immediately start preparing Aeton for the day. Behind Mori was another horse, already prepared, and Azami, after observing the horse from her spot, quickly noticed that it was an Andalusian.

Go figure why their horses came from the Iberian Peninsula.

"You know, Mori, you don't need to stay with me." Azami started as she looked at the boy, and watched him taking care of Aeton. "I know how to deal with horses, and I know you like to watch over Honey."

"It's done." Mori spoke in his deep voice, and Azami entitled her head to the side in surprise when she noticed that he had indeed prepared the horse in record time. "Shall we go?"

"I hum….sure." Azami spoke as she welcomed the reigns that Mori was handing her, and silently the two of them left the ranch, in time to see Haruhi twitching at something that Tamaki had said, while Kyoya observed them in silence.

Since Kyoya's propriety was, for lack of words, gigantic, Azami and Mori had silently agreed that, for a moment, they would just ride away from the commotion. Besides, Kyoya was keeping an eye on everything so both of them knew that nothing outstanding would happen while they were gone.

After spending what seemed to be an eternity riding, observing the never ending landscape, Azami and Mori decided to take a break under a huge willow tree. The horses' reigns were tied up in two branches, and the two adolescents quickly sat down on two strong roots.

"Haruhi told me that you and Honey are cousins." Azami started after a long period of silence, her eyes locked with the tree branches, but Mori said nothing as he gazed at the sky. "But she also said that you constantly watch over Honey because it's a family tradition."

"Yes."

"But you don't do it just because it's tradition, right?" Azami questioned as she tore her eyes away from the branches to glance at the young man, who kept gazing at the ocean above. "You do it because you truly care for him, ne?"

"…Yes."

"I admire you for that." Azami said, her voice coming out too softer for her own liking, and she looked away when Mori's eyes slipped to her. "I mean…I don't think many people would do what you do, especially since you are cousins, I err… I just think your decision is remarkable."

And once again, silence surrounded the two friends while a fresh breeze started dancing with the branches. As she brushed her hair away from her face, Azami pushed her glasses up her nose, fully aware that Mori was observing her, but struggling not to blush. She really did not feel comfortable with people staring at her the way he was looking at her.

However, despite of Mori's stare, Azami could silently agree that it felt good to be there with him. There was no need to speak, and even though they had never really talked, it was almost as if there was no need for them to utter a word.

They understood each other…

…Even when they were practically strangers to one another.

But perhaps, just perhaps, silence was the only link they needed to get to know each other, and Azami wondered if they were the only ones who had that capability… the ability of getting to know each other without saying more than what was necessary.

**To Be Continued…**


	9. Good Enough

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

I want to thank **Arlesace**, apparently both of us have a thing for fics that have more than two lines of Mori (wink).

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_Good Enough_

It was all about chaos. Of course that disorder made part of their daily basis, but that day was enough to send a completely sane and calm person straight to the madhouse. Most of the customers had designed Haruhi for the day, while the ones who had chosen Mori just could not understand why he spent most of his day beside Honey and in the company of a "four eyes, fat girl with bushy hair".

The twins were doing their job, displaying their "famous brotherly love look" every time they had a chance, but Kyoya could tell that something was bothering Hikaru. Or at least, he believed to be Hikaru, but of course that since they were the twins, one could never be too sure except for Haruhi.

As for Tamaki, he was too busy making his own customers smile, but people could often spot him in his corner of woe when he had nothing better to do. So, all in all, even though they were doing their jobs when it came to their customers, when it came to each others, everyone was doing an awful job.

After pushing his glasses up his nose, Kyoya excused himself from his customers, and walked towards Tamaki, who was currently playing a sad melody on the piano. Well, at least he had decided to trade his corner of woe for a change…

"Tamaki, we need to talk." Kyoya started, his notebook under his arm, but the lord just continued playing, his eyes staring off into space. After a moment, Kyoya cleared his throat, "Tamaki, stop playing. This is serious."

"Huh?" slowly Tamaki looked over his shoulder, right at Kyoya, who raised an eyebrow slightly at his friend's behavior. "Did you say anything?"

"We need to talk." Kyoya repeated, "And since your next customers will only show up in fifteen minutes, I think you can take profit of this little break of yours and tell me what has been bothering you ever since we came from the ranch."

A sigh escaped from Tamaki's lips, and the young man glanced to his side, right where Haruhi was, doing a great job captivating the hearts of her customers. Kyoya, on the other hand, kept staring at him, waiting to hear an explanation.

"She doesn't even look at me…" Tamaki murmured, and Kyoya arched his eyebrow at the words. "I don't know what else I should do. She just doesn't….respond to anything that I do."

"Well, everyone has already understood that Haruhi is not like most people." Kyoya started, in a professional tone. "Haruhi herself has admitted that she's a bit distracted, so you really can't expect her to react like most girls that come to our club react. Maybe if you change your tactic, she'll respond differently."

"She acts like a cub of ice when around me, but she's all smiles when with the twins, especially Hikaru." Tamaki continued, stressing the boy's name, and behaving as if he had not heard a word that Kyoya had said. "I just want to make sure my daughter is safe all the time and yet…"

"Have you ever thought that perhaps what she needs is not a father type figure?" Kyoya questioned suddenly, and Tamaki finally turned to him. "Have you ever thought that perhaps you chose the wrong role?"

"What would you have me do?" Tamaki questioned, his eyes gaining a spark of courage, "Someone has to make sure no one finds out what we're hiding, and I'm the only one up for the job."

"Perhaps, but you don't have to act as if you're her father to protect her." Kyoya pointed it out, and Tamaki raised an eyebrow. "Everyone knows why you behave like this….everyone except for yourself, and of course Haruhi. So, what about stopping with all this drama, and actually do something worthwhile?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Tamaki questioned, and a flash of light crossed Kyoya's glasses lens as he grabbed his notebook, and opened it.

"I think we both know what I mean." was all that Kyoya said before walking away, towards the table where Honey, Mori and Azami were. Who would have thought he was the one who was going to play cupid?

"So, are you enjoying your afternoon tea?" Kyoya questioned as he stopped next to the table, and while Azami looked at him, Mori simply glanced at him before staring into space again, Honey eating all the cakes on the table without even taking a break to breathe. "You know, Mori, I have been studying our last entries, and I must say we didn't spend as much money as I thought we would with the trip to the ranch."

At those words, Kyoya could not help but smile to himself when he noticed Azami staring confusedly at Mori for a moment. Honey, on the other hand, glanced at Kyoya for a moment before focusing his attention on both Mori and Azami, although he had yet to stop eating.

"But I thought Honey had been the one to come up with the idea…" Azami trailed off, and Kyoya smirked before walking away, ignoring the silent glare Mori was throwing at him while Honey was blinking in puzzlement.

On the meantime, Hikaru managed to excuse himself from his customers, and after some time trying to convince Haruhi to do the same, he managed to drag the disguised girl outside the Third Music Room. Thankfully there was no one there, but even so, Hikaru could not help but feel extremely nervous under Haruhi's gaze.

"So, what is it that you need to tell me that couldn't wait?" Haruhi questioned, and Hikaru glanced at her before clearing his throat in nervousness, and start looking around. "Are you coming down with a cold or something? You look flushed."

"No, I'm fine." Hikaru answered a bit too quickly, and he looked down while Haruhi entitled her head to the side. "I…I just wanted to tell you something because Kaoru didn't stop getting to my nerves, and…"

"Alright, then say it." Haruhi said calmly, the corner of her lips curling up into a friendly smile, and Hikaru glanced at her only to look at the floor seconds later. "I don't think Kyoya-sempai will be too happy if we stay here for long though."

"It's just…it's kind of hard for me to put this in words…" Hikaru muttered, before mentally kicking himself. He was stuttering! He _never_ stuttered! Damn, he needed to get over that fast. "We are friends, right? You and I?" Haruhi nodded, "And I know I can count you, right?"

"And the rest of the guys," Haruhi added, the smile still on her face, and Hikaru found himself returning the smile although he was still nervous as hell. And yet as he thought about the right words to say, Hikaru slowly started calming down.

He knew what he had to do…

… Now it was time for his heart to accept what he had known all along…

… And make sure no one blew that opportunity up.

"Haruhi, we have been friends for quite some time, right?" Hikaru questioned, and the disguised girl nodded before chuckling.

"As if I could ever forget what forced me to become your friends." Haruhi commented, and Hikaru chuckled at the memory of the girl breaking the vase. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you see…" Hikaru cleared his throat, and took a deep breath, ignoring the eyebrow that Haruhi had raised at his actions. "During all this time, I have come to look at you as something more than just a member of the host club, and I…well, there was a time when I wanted to make you happy."

"Aw that's so sweet of you." Haruhi interrupted in a very grateful tone, and Hikaru blushed slightly since it was obvious that she had not understood what he was trying to say to her. "I really hope you can be happy too!"

"What I mean is," Hikaru continued, Haruhi staring at him still with the same smile on her face, "that I really hope you can be happy because…well, I think he's too dense, but I swear that if he doesn't snap soon, I'll make him."

Hikaru raised his right fist to prove his point, and Haruhi blinked confusedly at him. At that, Hikaru chuckled as the corner of his lips twitched into an amused smile, and then he winked at the girl.

"Since I know it's time for me to get over this, I'll just go make sure that at least you can be happy." the boy explained before resting his hands on his hips in a decisive position. "Yep, that's exactly what I'm going to do!"

With that decision taken, Hikaru moved closer to Haruhi so that their noses were inches away from each other. Slowly, the boy cupped Haruhi's cheek with a hand before kissing Haruhi gently on the other cheek. Then, without any other word, he opened the doors of the Third Music Room, and walked inside.

"Huh?" was all that left Haruhi's lips as she entitled her head to the side before caressing the cheek that Hikaru had kissed with the tip of her fingers. What on earth had just happened? Mutely, Haruhi turned to the door that Hikaru had closed behind him, her fingers still touching her cheek; she seriously did not know what had happened, but for some reason, she felt that Hikaru preferred to be alone for the moment.

"Help me to be happy…" Haruhi whispered as she looked down. Then, she sighed, "What on earth did I miss this time?"

* * *

He did not know why, but he simply could not look away from the girl, who was sitting just across his position, with a warm cup of tea in front of her, on the table. He also did not know how Kyoya had found out, but then again, he was not the Ootori heir for nothing. All he had hoped was that no one would ever say a word about him being the one who thought about the trip to the ranch, because, after all, it had been a silly thought.

And by all means it was not supposed for Azami to know that he had been the one to think of that.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Azami asked suddenly, her eyes still locked with her cup of tea, but Mori simply continued looking at her, with an empty expression on his face. "I mean…I know it's not my business, but…"

"Mitsukuni wanted to go."

Yes, that was it; by mentioning Mitsukuni, Azami was going to drop the subject, and they could resume to what they had been doing before Kyoya had showed up.

"But…you chose a ranch…" Azami trailed off, and Mori mentally sighed; he just wanted for that to end. He really was not the type of person who could explain the reasons behind his actions, nor did he want to, but still… "Why? And please, don't say it's because Honey wanted to go."

Drat, what to say?

"…You like horses."

Okay, that was so not the best thing to say!

At the unwanted confession, Azami looked up, revealing her surprised mask, and Mori looked away for a moment. He was not that good at talking to people, much less explaining to someone why he did certain things. Everyone at the Host Club always convinced him to do things, and never asked for his opinion, so why on earth did Azami had to ask him about the reason that had lead to the trip?

"You did this…for me?" Azami asked, but Mori simply focused his attention on her again, narrowing his eyes slightly at her faint blush. "I hum…thank you."

"Your welcome."

There was truly not point in saying that on that moment something had changed. Mori could not say what exactly, but something had shaken on the second those two words left his lips, and resulted in Azami smiling gracefully at him.

There was something about her smile…

The moment was broken when a cell-phone started ringing, and clumsily, Azami grabbed her bag, and searched for her phone. After sending Mori an apologetically look, the girl turned to her side, and clicked on the green button.

"Hello?" she asked, Mori watching her crossing her legs although her long yellow uniform kept hiding her form, except for her feet and ankles. "Mãe!" ("Mom!")

Now, Mori truly did not know Portuguese, but the hint of surprise in Azami's voice forced him to look at her face only to see that her eyes were widened in surprise. Perhaps something had happened…

As Azami spoke in her mother tongue, Mori looked at the rest of the members of the Host Club. Honey was sitting on a table, with three girls, making them drool over his cute face. The twins were also showing off their brotherly love to their customers, while Kyoya was speaking with a girl on a table. Surprisingly though, both Tamaki and Haruhi were chatting tranquilly on a sofa, two cups of tea on the table in front of them.

And for some reason, Mori could say that the fact that Tamaki and Haruhi were alone, had to do with Kyoya.

"I hum…" with a small blink, Mori turned his attention back to Azami, only to see that she had already hung up, and was currently looking down at her knees. "I'm sorry, Mori, but I have to go."

Without giving Mori any time to even utter one word, Azami stood up from her chair, and grabbed her bag before putting the cell-phone inside. Then, she brushed her hair away from her face, and pushed her glasses up her nose at same time she looked at Mori.

Something was wrong…

"I guess we'll see each other later." Azami said before bowing slightly in respect, and then walk out of the room without bothering to say a word to any other member of the Host Club.

"Takashi…" a voice called out, and Mori looked away from the door that Azami had closed behind her when she left the room only to see Honey standing right in front of him. "You didn't feel lonely, did you?"

"Why don't you go try to figure out what's troubling her?" Kaoru questioned as Hikaru appeared next to him before nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, you guys actually seem to get along." the oldest twin pointed out, and Mori stared at them with a blank expression on his face.

"Do you know what happened for Azami to leave like that?" Haruhi asked suddenly as she appeared next to Hikaru, Tamaki following her swiftly.

"Takashi," Honey called-out again, and Mori turned to him, only to face a wide smile, "Why don't you do something impulsive for once, and go try to figure out what happened? We all like Azami-chan!"

And before he could stop himself, one whispered word left Mori's lips,

"…Yeah."

And moments later, Mori had left the Third Music Room.

"You know something we don't, don't you Kyoya-sempai?" both Kaoru and Hikaru chorused, and everyone else looked at Kyoya in time to see him pushing his glasses up his nose.

"Apparently, you've all forgotten that Azami isn't from Japan." was all Kyoya said before grabbing his notepad, and start scribbling as he walked away.

"Does…does that mean Azami is leaving?" Haruhi asked, raising a hand to her chest, but instead of an answer, Tamaki simply wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and silently pulled the girl to him.

"Tamaki-sempai…" Haruhi whispered as she looked up at the boy, and notice the sad expression on his face as he continued staring at the closed door of the room.

"Sometimes…" Tamaki trailed off before glancing down at the girl so that their faces were extremely close, "Lord Tennyson once said 'I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; that 'tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all."

"He also said once that 'words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within'." Haruhi completed, and Tamaki smiled sadly at her before caressing her cheek with his hand.

And right on that moment, a deeper bond came to be.

* * *

The sound of someone knocking at the door, echoed through the whole house, dancing serenely with the soft melody that was leaving the radio in the living room. The sound of feet touching the wooden floor with each new step also started dancing with the song, and at same time the knocking faded away, a hand turned the doorknob of the front door of the apartment.

"Mori!" Azami exclaimed, surprised by seeing the young man standing in front of her, with the same emotionless mask on his face, arms crossed against his chest. "What are you doing here? How did you know I live here?"

"I followed you."

Short, simple and direct. It also left no space for discussion, and it was with a sigh that Azami stepped backwards, and allowed Mori to walk inside.

"Would you like something to drink?" Azami asked as she led Mori to the living-room, and motioned for him to sit down on the black sofa. When Mori shook his head before sitting down, Azami mimicked his actions, and sat next to him, leaving enough space between them for comfort. "So, what brings you to my humble house?"

"I know something's wrong."

The determination in his deep voice was enough to send a chill down Azami's spine, and the girl shifted uncomfortable before looking down at her knees. Since Mori had showed up minutes after she had walked inside her house, Azami was still wearing the uniform from the Academy, which really did not help her feeling any better.

"I didn't mean to worry anyone for leaving like that." Azami whispered to herself, unaware that Mori had heard her clearly despite of the music that was still coming from the radio. "I'm sorry, I just…had to take care of something?"

"Are you going back to Portugal?"

At that question, Azami felt her heart skip a beat, and she clenched her hands slightly before looking at the young man next to her, and then she nervously licked her lips before nodding.

"Yes."

And for some reason, she felt as if everything that had happened between the two of them was going to be powerless against her departure.

**To Be Continued…**


	10. Forever Gone, Forever You

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

I want to thank everyone, but especially my reviewers, for your constant support and help. You guys were awesome with me, and I truly hope I never disappointed you. Sadly, I must inform you all that this is the _**last**_ chapter. I haven't written an epilogue, but I will if someone asks me to. I think I can manage to find some time to type it down. Anyway, I really, _really_ must thank you all, one last time, for everything you guys did for me.

Muito Obrigada! (Thank You Very Much!)

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_Forever Gone, Forever You_

Something had indeed changed in the Host Club as spring continued to bloom flowers, and bring birds back to the Japanese skies. The members of the club were also behaving differently, although they tried their best not to show it, especially when with customers.

With a small smile on his lips, Kaoru looked up from the book he was reading, his eyes finding Hikaru's form, since his twin was sitting on another chair, across from his. Even though it was obvious that Hikaru still had a soft spot for Haruhi, it was also obvious that he was letting it go. Kaoru never questioned his brother about his actions, but that was only because the answer to his actions was rather noticeable.

Silently, Kaoru glanced at Haruhi, only to see the girl laughing at Tamaki's weird behaviour, since the boy was dancing around. All that was needed was for words to be shared…for the _right_ words to be spoken, and everything came to be. But of course that _someone_ had also been forced to step in, and show everyone the right direction.

Kyoya was sitting on a table, all by himself, observing the club's budget. Kaoru was not entirely sure what Kyoya gained by helping his friends getting together, but Kaoru knew there was some profit for the Ootori heir. But Kyoya was also one with many mysteries, so Kaoru was aware that they would most likely never going to find out what had drove Kyoya into playing cupid.

Honey was still the sweet boy he was, bringing more joy into that club. Mori, on the other hand, was even more silent if that was in fact possible. Azami had visited them a couple of times, but she did not show up at the host club as frequently as she used to; even in classes, she seemed dimmer, almost as if she was fading into some sort of depression…

"Azami-chan!" Honey shouted suddenly, and everyone looked at the door of the Third Music Room in time to see Azami walking timidly inside, a faint smile on her face. "Yay, I thought we weren't going to see you for another week!"

"As if I could survive without seeing you," Azami replied as she smiled at Honey, and Haruhi quickly made her way towards the girl before asking if she wanted some tea.

"Say, Hikaru, are you alright with this?" Kaoru asked as he focused his attention on his brother, who was watching both Haruhi and Azami while Tamaki went to play on the piano.

"Don't worry about it anymore, Kaoru." Hikaru replied, apparently aware of what his younger brother was implying, and as he turned to Kaoru, he smiled. "Everything is alright now."

"But Haruhi…"

"She gave us more than I could ask for." Hikaru finished, and Kaoru blinked when he noticed the content look on Hikaru's golden eyes… That look…it was so serene…so new… "Samuel Johnson once said 'Always set high value on spontaneous kindness. He whose inclination prompts him to cultivate your friendship of his own accord will love you more than one whom you have been at pains to attach to you."

For a moment Kaoru just stared surprised at his brother, drinking in the rare blissfulness that Hikaru seemed to emanate as he glanced at Haruhi again. Then, slowly, a contented smile graced his features, and Kaoru nodded.

"Yes."

* * *

"_My father is coming to Japan in May. Apparently he found out that I have been living all by myself, and wants to take me back immediately."_

Silently, Mori watched Haruhi sitting down next to Azami, both of them with a cup of tea respectively, while cakes filled the rest of the table. He could still remember well the night when words had created a deeper connection, and how glances had seemed to reveal what was forbidden to be spoken.

"_When I came here, only my mother knew that I wanted to be alone. I didn't want to be living alone in a gigantic house; there was no need to, and I definitely did not want to live in a place that reminded me of my father's wealth."_

He understood her, and she understood him. Even when their points of views were distinct, they still understood each other. The problem was that time was being robbed from them, and there was no time to try to get to know more about each other.

"_I know money is of a great help in this world, but I don't like it. I hate being rich. I hate the fact money was what caused the destruction of my parents' love, and I hate the fact money is what causes them to fight every time. I hate being rich, because money destroyed my family."_

The trip to Japan had been the perfect escapade, but it was a limited one. Now there was nowhere to go, there was nothing to aid them…there was nothing to stop the world from imposing itself between them.

"_Meeting you and the rest of the host club was the best thing that ever happened to me. You are all so different, and so free, and yet… I can only hope one day I'll be able to see you all again."_

He had not answered her back then, but deep inside he hoped the same. He knew he wanted that to happen, but he also knew it was not his place to say anything about it. Apparently, despite of Azami's actions, her father still wanted her to be the heir of the _Lusitanian Star_.

"_And I hope one day we can meet again."_

He knew to whom she had been referring to on that day, but he had not said anything in return. But he knew there was no need to; the glance they had shared after her words had been enough to speak for a crowd.

"Takashi, come join us!" Honey's voice broke the silence, and Mori snapped from his daze only to see that everyone had joined Haruhi and Azami in the afternoon tea.

With a short nod, Mori stood up from his chair, and made his way towards the table only to notice that someone had _accidentally _left the chair to Azami's right empty. Without bothering to say a word, Mori sat down, and looked at Azami only to notice that she was looking back at him, a small smile on her face.

"_My father will most likely show up when we least expect, so I hope you won't forget me even if I'm force to leave without a proper goodbye."_

"I want strawberry pie!" Honey shouted enthusiastically when Haruhi questioned about what they wanted to eat, before scolding Kyoya for being writing something on his notebook when they were eating.

"Aww, my dear Haruhi, you're going to be such a perfect wife!" Tamaki commented from Haruhi's side, causing the twins to snicker while the disguised girl blushed at the words. "You're going to be marvelous, princess!"

"Just eat your cake." Haruhi mumbled, struggling to stop blushing, which did not happen when the twins started laughing at her. Kyoya, on the other hand, simply smirked while Honey was too busy eating his own cake, Azami and Mori still too occupied by staring at each other to notice what was going on.

"_I'm very grateful for meeting you, Morinozuka Takashi."_

Suddenly, the doors of the Third Music Room swung open, and everything went silent. Slowly, an extremely tall man walked inside, dressed in a black suit, his hands clasped behind his back. His hair was black, but some streaks were already turning grey and white, but his dark brown eyes did hold all the authority he needed.

"Pai?" ("Father?") Azami asked before standing up from her chair, the napkin that had been resting on her lap falling down to the floor, and everyone else blinked at the word.

"It's time to go, Azami." the man spoke in an authoritarian tone, and Azami looked away, "You have five minutes to say goodbye to your friends, and then we're leaving. I believe you still have to pack."

With those words, the man turned around, and left the room, leaving a very uncomfortable silence behind. For a moment nothing was said while everybody's eyes were locked with Azami's form.

"Azami…" Haruhi started as she stood up, and quickly turned to the foreign girl. "You never told us your father was going to show up like this. This…this is so sudden…"

"I'm sorry; I never thought he was going to show up in here." Azami mumbled as she continued looking down, and after a few seconds, Haruhi rested her hands on her girl friend's shoulders. "But I guess it's time."

"We're going to miss you." Haruhi whispered, and Azami looked at her only to feel her heart squeezing at the sight of Haruhi's kind smile. "But I guess we can still call each other, ne? And send letters."

"And e-mails!" both Hikaru and Kaoru chorused as they appeared next to the girl, "And you can be positive we're going to Portugal one of these days, to see how your country is!"

"I would love that, and you'd be most welcomed." Azami replied before laughing when the twins pulled her into a hug. "Come here, you two." the girl added, glancing at Haruhi and Honey, who looked as if he was about to cry.

"I just wish you could have told us about your departure sooner." Tamaki started as he appeared beside Haruhi, and Azami looked at him, "This way we could have prepared a party in your behalf."

"No, it's better this way." Azami replied with a small shake of her head before looking down at Honey, who was hugging her by the waist. "And I expect you to send me an e-mail once in a while, you hear me?"

"I'm sure that can be arranged." Kyoya spoke as he appeared from behind Kaoru, and Azami looked at him before smiling gratefully. "And I must agree with the twins; one of these days we shall go visit you in Portugal."

"I'll be waiting!" Azami answered, still with a smile gracing her features, and slowly everyone stepped backwards, all of them with poignant smiles on their faces. "Now, you better keep up with this club, and bring lots of smiles to girls' lives, just like you did to me."

"Of course, that's a promise, princess." Tamaki answered before winking at Azami, who laughed warmly at his actions before turning her attention to Mori, who was standing at a distance from the group.

The corner of Azami's lips curled up into a content smile as the two of them continued staring at each other, not moving at all. There was no need to; the night when Mori had showed up on Azami's doorstep had been the first of many steps, and that separation was simply another one.

"Menina Hajime." ("Miss Hajime.") a voice called-out, and everyone turned to the door of the Third Music Room to see an old man, dressed as a steward standing by the door, "O seu pai espera-a." ("Your father is expecting you.")

After one last smile, Azami tore her eyes away from Mori to look at the steward, and nod. Then, after one last group hug, Azami glanced one last time at Mori, the smile still on her face, and then she walked away from the room…

…Away from any chance of return.

In spite of the fact everyone was now looking at him, most likely expecting to see him running after Azami, to stop her from going, Mori simply walked towards the closest window, and stared outside. It did not take long for Azami to step into the garden, following her father and the steward, and Mori immediately crossed his arms against his chest.

"_And who knows? Maybe our paths will entwine again. I would really like that."_

'_Me too,'_ Mori whispered in his mind, and the corner of his lips twitched into a ghost of a smile when he saw Azami look over her shoulder, right towards him. Then, with a smile, the girl waved one last time at him, and before he knew it, Mori returned the wave.

"_Maybe one day I'll be able to live the dream that the host club has to offer to every girl."_

»«»« **New School Year** »«»«

"Ne, Hikaru, things are getting exciting, don't you think?" Kaoru asked as they patiently waited for the teacher to walk inside the classroom, Haruhi still sitting between the two of them. "Mori-sempai, Honey-sempai and Kyoya-sempai already graduated, but they still managed to maintain the host club."

"And they still make part of it." Hikaru said with a small smirk before shaking his head, and glance at Haruhi by the corner of his eyes, "But of course that since _his_ princess is still in the Academy, I guess it's understandable why he wants to stick around."

"I'm not his princess." Haruhi stated matter-of-factly as she hit Hikaru on the top of his head with her History book, a slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Of course not, he's just…_courting_ you." Hikaru said in return, and he laughed at Haruhi when he saw her become red, "Oi, no need to become a tomato!"

"Shut up!" Haruhi said irritably, before punching Hikaru on the arm, Kaoru watching the two of them with a smile on his face. Even though Haruhi was still a boy for the Academy that fact did not stop Tamaki from making some moves on her when alone. However, since Haruhi was still a little dense when it came to love, Hikaru had decided that they should tease her until she understood that Tamaki was being serious about wanting to have a…different relationship with Haruhi.

Until that moment, though, Hikaru had only managed to tease Haruhi to no end, making the girl blush and shift uncomfortably. But then again, it felt good to see Hikaru finally overcoming his more romantic feelings for the girl, and accepting the fact that a relationship between Haruhi and Tamaki was possible.

All Kaoru hoped was that one day Hikaru could find the girl who would accept him, and care for him.

"Good morning!" the students chorused, as they stood up from their chairs when they saw the teacher stepping inside the classroom.

"Good morning, you may sit down." the teacher started, as she put her briefcase on her desk before turning to the whole class, "Today I have a special announcement to make; we have two new students, so I would like you to welcome them."

In silence, Kaoru focused his attention on the door of the classroom, and he blinked when he saw the two students walking inside. Almost immediately, he looked at Hikaru by the corner of his eyes only to see that his brother was looking back at him, with a sly smile on his face.

Things were definitely going to be interesting that year…

"Hello, we're the Masashi twins!" the two girls started, their maroon hairs falling down to the middle of their backs in soft waves, their matching denim eyes twinkling with excitement. "Our names are Miyuki and Tomoko, and our favourite game is 'can you tell who is who?'.

At that, Kaoru and Hikaru looked at each other, and exchanged matching smirks; oh yeah, things were going to be _very_ exciting that year…

"Oh boy…" Haruhi whispered to herself, aware of what was running through the twins' minds, and then she mushroom sighed. "I just hope I can survive to this year…"

**The End**

(23/09/07)

Thank You All!


	11. Epilogue

**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing, except for the plot and my own OC. _Ouran High School Host Club_ belongs to **Bisco Hatori**. _No Roads Left _is a song by **Linkin Park.**

* * *

It took me almost two months to write this epilogue, but it's finally here. It's quite long as well, but hopefully it was worth to wait for it. I apology for taking so long! I also want to leave here my appreciation to all those who followed this fic, and supported me through thick and thin. Thank you all!

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

It was a fantastic day for a celebration. The sky was clear of any cloud; flocks of birds were crossing the magnificence of the ocean above. People were wandering around through that part of the park, dressed in their most elegant dresses and tuxes, while enjoying the delicacy of tea and the softness of the pastries.

Everything was so beautiful around her, with petals swinging with the wind while soft fragrances waltzed with the dancing couples that were on the small stage that had been prepared for that event. Laughter was the true melody of that warm sunset while words were carried everywhere, welcoming the end of the day with toasts and bows.

That party was being held by the Suou family, to congratulate the latest commitment signed by the family. This time, two young adults had introduced themselves to the world as fiancés, and people had sincerely applauded their decision. After such long discussions between the highest members of the Suou and Ootori families, everyone was glad to see that it was Suou Tamaki who was about to give the first step.

Some people had been dubious about the young man's commitment; after all, everyone knew how he treated women, and how affective he could be towards a member of the opposite gender. For some, it was a bit unfamiliar to watch Tamaki declare to the whole world that he was in fact ready to give a new step forward, while holding the hand of his beloved fiancé.

And what fiancé she was. At the beginning many had been confused by her choice of style, especially with her short brown hair that definitely made her look like a fragile boy. The rumour that her father had not accept that engagement still tingled some people's ears, but now, as everyone watched Fujioka Ryoji dancing on the stage, dressed in woman's clothing, it was quite clear that he had finally decided to accept that his daughter was growing up.

However, Suou Tamaki had not been the only one to surprise his guests by asking his girlfriend, Fujioka Haruhi, in marriage. As expected, Ootori Kyoya had also stepped forward, and even though they had not made it official, he had also declared to some of the wealthiest families that he also intended to propose to his girlfriend soon.

With a content smile on her face, she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she continued to observe her guests. Even though they no longer were students of the Academy, Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin never lost a chance to give off the "famous brotherly love look". However, it no longer surprised her to see women, of all ages, to completely melt at the sight of the twins' tender gestures.

In fact, the only ones who had every reason to get annoyed at the twins behavior had stopped caring a long time ago. After all, when they wanted, they could be sneaky as the twins, and draw some male attention as well.

Not too far from the twins, was Takashi Morinozuka, talking to some important CEOs while holding a glass of champagne. He was a fantastic job ignoring the squealing and blushing girls that were surrounding him. After all, Takashi was one of the most wanted bachelors at the moment, since both Suou Tamaki and Ootori Kyoya were no longer available.

Haruhi quickly noticed, however, that Mitsukuni Haninozuka was not around. With a confused blink, she started looking around, and smiled to herself when she spotted the blond eating at a table, with four girls sitting with him, squealing at his cuteness. After all, even though Honey was twenty-three years old, he still had his sweet tooth, and since he had not grown that much, he still carried the air of cuteness he used to have when in the Academy.

Still smiling, Haruhi glanced at Kyoya, and her eyes softened when she saw him talking with a man in his fifties and a woman. If she remembered correctly, the couple worked for the Ootori family so Haruhi guessed they were most likely talking about business. What she had noticed as well was that the last member of the old Host Club had disappeared.

"Ah, Haruhi, may I say you look dashing this night?" a voice spoke suddenly, and the young woman looked behind her only to meet a pair of golden eyes "Where is that fiancé of yours? Seriously, if you were mine, I wouldn't take my eyes off you for a second."

"Hikaru, do you really think you should be saying that?" Haruhi asked as she rested a hand on the young man's chest, and pulled him away from her with a gentle push. "I wonder what Tomoko would say if she heard you."

"Hey, all I said was that you look dashing, Tomoko looks too damn sexy." Hikaru replied with a small smirk, and Haruhi raised an eyebrow at his words before laughing, which forced the young man to shrug. "Women…"

"Well, I take it you didn't notice the glare Tomoko sent you while you were showing off your brotherly love with Kaoru, so what about you going to check on her?" Haruhi asked, and Hikaru sent her an incredulous look. Then, he rested the back of his hand on his forehead, and arched his back slightly.

"Oh, dear Haruhi, you break my heart for wanting to get rid of me so soon!" Hikaru said in a drama tone, and the young woman beside him blinked at his act. Then, Hikaru noticed someone approaching from behind Haruhi, and quickly grabbed the young woman's hands. "What do you say about us leaving your husband-to-be, and go to the Caribbean? Imagine; just you, me, and the ocean!"

"Hikaru, I think Tomoko is looking for you." a male voice commented suddenly, and Haruhi looked over her shoulder before smiling warmly when she noticed who it was. Without expressing a word, Suou Tamaki wrapped an arm around Haruhi's waist, pulling her closer to him. "And speaking of Tomoko; have you thought about actually proposing to her? Even Kyoya is thinking about it."

"Kyoya is thinking about proposing to my girl?" Hikaru asked suddenly, and while Haruhi blinked, once again, at his words, Tamaki chuckled. "The nerve! He can't get yours, so he's coming after my girl? Well, we'll see about that!"

"Err do you think he's going to be alright?" Haruhi asked as she watched Hikaru walking away, and Tamaki chuckled at her naiveté before resting his chin on the young woman's shoulder, a smile on his face.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them." he started before kissing Haruhi close to her ear, his smiling growing wider when she felt her shiver. "He just needs to overcome that fear of his about Tomoko saying 'no' when he proposes to her. But then again, I shouldn't really say something about it."

"You were afraid I was going to refuse?" Haruhi asked, and Tamaki looked down at her before holding her chin, and rest his forehead against hers, "You idiot."

"Ah, sweet princess of mine, you forget that you're so pure and beautiful that even angels would blush at your sight." Tamaki hushed before caressing Haruhi's lips with his, but it was with a timid smile and a blush of her own that Haruhi pulled him backwards.

"Would you like something to drink? I'm rather thirsty." Haruhi said, and Tamaki stepped backwards, his fingers still holding her chin in a tender gesture.

"I'll see what I can find," the young man said before walking away, leaving a flushed Haruhi behind. When she was finally alone, Haruhi rested a hand on her chest, and looked up at the sky before shaking her head slightly; Tamaki would never change.

Quietly Haruhi looked at the party again, and watched as couples continued dancing while others talked and laughed, occasionally eating or drinking. Fortunately few were those who dared to smoke, and Haruhi mentally thanked for it; the petals that were waltzing with the wind offered such a delicate scent to that evening…

Slowly, Haruhi looked to her side, and stared right at a katsura tree. As she continued staring at the tree, Haruhi could not help but recall a certain brunette she had meet on her second year at the Academy. How long had passed since they had last talked? Haruhi guessed that more than a year had passed since they had last called each other, and she could not help but feel sad about it. Tamaki and Haruhi had agreed about sending her an invitation, but they had never received an answer.

Suddenly, Haruhi spotted something behind the tree, and she narrowed her eyes slightly in suspicion. No one was allowed to get inside the park without an invitation, so it had to a guest, but if it was, then…

Slowly and carefully enough not to make a sound, Haruhi started walking towards the tree, her eyes never leaving the spot where she had seen what she believed to be a head. Nervously, she bite her lower lip, and continuously kept telling herself that if there was any danger, there were a lot of people close to her that could help her out.

"Hum…hello?" Haruhi called out, not really sure of what to say, and then she licked her lips in nervousness. "Hum…are you lost or something?"

For a moment, Haruhi could swear she heard someone chuckle, but her eyes widened when the wind carried a voice to her.

"Oh no, I'm fine, thank you."

Then, everything happened in slow motion. A person emerged from behind the tree, and Haruhi's eyes widened even more as her eyes meet a pair of dark-brown ones, long brown and curly hair falling down to the young woman's elbows. On contrary of everybody else, she was not wearing appropriated clothing for the celebration; instead, she was dressed in a pair of business black pants with a white blouse and black sandals. A pair of black framed rectangle glasses was protecting her eyes, but for what seemed to be an eternity, Haruhi was unable to speak.

"Oh my…" Haruhi finally breathed, and the woman in front of her smiled slightly at her, "It can't be…"

"Hello Haruhi, I'm very sorry for showing up without a warning, and I'm very sorry that I'm not dressed up for the event, b-" the woman was suddenly cut off when Haruhi stepped forward, and pulled her into a tight hug.

"Azami, what on earth are you doing here?" Haruhi asked as she finally let go, and stepped backwards. "I mean, of course I know what you're doing here, but when did you arrive? How come you showed up without saying anything?"

"I'm really sorry, Haruhi, I wasn't even sure if I would even be able to pass by." Azami started, apologetically, "Work has been taking a lot of my time; I even sent you an email explaining that I probably wouldn't be able to come, but I guess you didn't receive it. And don't ask me why, but when I was going home, I decided to visit the Academy, and saw, well, the ceremony."

"How did you manage to get in?" Haruhi asked as she entitled her head slightly to the side, "Tamaki made sure that no one without an invitation could enter."

"Actually, I'm the one to blame for that," a voice spoke suddenly, and the two girls looked behind Haruhi only to see Kaoru standing there, a hand resting on the back of his neck. "I kind of told the guards to let her enter, because Azami's an old friend. I was also the one who told her to hide behind the tree until I managed to talk to you."

"So, you decided to help her to sneak in without coming to me first?" Haruhi asked as she raised an eyebrow, and Kaoru shrugged sheepishly. "Well, never mind that, I'm so happy to have you back." Haruhi added as she turned to Azami, and smile widely at her. "It's great to see you again, but….do you want to come with me? You don't need to hide, you know?"

"I…" as Azami trailed off, Kaoru took the chance to walk away, smiling to himself at his success. Haruhi, on the other hand, grabbed Azami's hand without saying a word, and started dragging her along.

"Great, come this way." Haruhi said with a cute smile, and Azami simply laughed lightly before informing Haruhi that she could not leave her things in the tree. So, after returning to the tree so that Azami could fetch what she needed, both girls made their way towards the rest of the guests.

"Would you like some tea?" Haruhi questioned, but it was then that Tamaki appeared from out of nowhere, holding two glasses in his hands.

"Oh my, the beautiful Azami," Tamaki greeted suddenly, a wide smile on his face, and he gracefully handed Haruhi one of the glasses before holding Azami's hand, and kiss her knuckles. "It's so good to see you again; thank you so much for coming."

"You…You knew she was coming?" Haruhi asked, a confused mask on her face, and Tamaki took a sip of his drink before smiling at his fiancé.

"Of course I didn't, but she's here, and that's superb. I knew how much you were dying to see her again." Tamaki retorted before walking to Haruhi's side, and wrap an arm around her waist. Then, he gazed at Azami. "Does Mori know that you're here?"

"Oh no, I didn't really have the time to wander around." Azami replied with a small shake of her head, "But I must apology once again for showing up like this. If Kaoru hadn't been walking close to the gate with Miyuki, I would have never walked in."

"Then, we shall not waste another minute, I'm sure the rest of the club will be thrilled to know that you're here." Tamaki said before kissing Haruhi's cheek, and whisper something into her ear before walking away.

"Hum…Haruhi, I don't want to impose, I should just leave." Azami started, as she felt butterflies in her stomach, and nervousness starting to consume her limbs. "You know I'm very happy for you and Tamaki; I was rooting for you, and when I received your invitation I couldn't be happier, but…"

"Azami, why are you running away?" Haruhi spoke suddenly, and the Portuguese girl widened her eyes wide in surprise before looking away. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still a bit slow sometimes not to mention distracted, but…I don't know why, but I have the feeling you're trying to run away. Why is that? Is it because of Mori-sempai?"

"No, not at all, it's just…"

Suddenly a voice shouted Azami's name, and the young woman spun around in time to feel two pair of arms wrap around her neck in a very tight hug. All Azami had time to see was the blond hair of the boy that was still hugging her to death before noticing Hikaru and Kaoru appearing on both her sides.

"Look at what we have here, Kaoru." Hikaru commented suddenly as he gazed at his twin. "You know, she looks awfully familiar but at same time she's a stranger to me. Can you tell me who she is again?"

"Oh Hikaru, how could you forget? She's…" suddenly Kaoru looked down at Azami before resting a finger against his chin, a thoughtful frown on his face. "Hum, who are you again?"

"Hikaru, that's Azami, you know who she is." Haruhi started saying, but it was then that the boy that was still hugging the Portuguese girl looked up, revealing his big and round brown eyes.

"Azami-chan, do you remember me?" the boy asked, and the said girl looked down at him before smiling, and then she kissed him lightly on the forehead.

"As if I could ever forget the always sweet Honey," Azami whispered, but instead of letting her go, Honey smiled widely at her, before shouting an 'yay' of happiness, and squeeze the girl even harder.

"Honey, I think you should let her go, she's turning blue." Kyoya spoke suddenly as he appeared from behind Hikaru, and push his glasses up his nose as he turned to Azami. "It's very nice to see you again, Miss Hajime."

"Oh…hello…Kyoya," Azami mumbled as she struggled to breath due to Honey's brutal hug, but it was then that a hand appeared from out of nowhere, and grabbed Honey by his collar before pulling the boy up. As she blinked in confusion, Azami looked over her shoulder, and froze when her eyes meet a pair of black ones. "M-Mori…"

"…Hello." was all Mori said as he put Honey on the ground, on his feet, his face blank as always, and Azami felt her breath get caught in her throat.

"I-It's nice to see you again," she said before taking a deep breath, and look up at the tall young man, and a small smile graced her features. "How are you?"

"Wait! Something's way wrong in this picture!" Hikaru exclaimed suddenly, and everyone turned to him in time to see him walking towards Azami and Mori. "You two haven't seen each other for like a year; don't you think your meeting should be slightly different?"

"What is he doing?" Haruhi asked in a whisper when Tamaki appeared beside her, but instead of answering, her fiancé just smiled at her before wrapping his arms around her form, and rest his chin on her shoulder. "Don't you think he's pushing his luck?"

"I think Tomoko has been teaching him a few things about how to be a matchmaker," Tamaki finally said in reply, and Haruhi blinked confused at his words. "But let's trust him on this one, shall we? After all, he helped us as well."

"How could I ever forget?" Haruhi questioned as she recalled being locked up in a balcony with Tamaki, in December during a party. Oh, she would never forget that night, from the extremely low temperatures, to the thin dress she had been wearing, to the moment when Tamaki had put his coat around her shoulders, to the point when…

Suddenly, Haruhi blushed ten shades of red, but she was forced to snap from her memories when Hikaru spoke again.

"You two should be kissing by now!" the oldest male twin exclaimed exasperated, but while Azami went red at his burst, Mori blinked. "Why am I the one who has to do everything these days? You guys are adults, or have you forgotten it?"

"Oh, Hikaru, don't forget that they can't display their emotions as well as we can." Kaoru spoke suddenly before walking to his twin, and caress his cheek, "If they could only follow our steps. We're such an example."

"Oh Kaoru, what did we do wrong?" Hikaru asked in despair, but Kaoru simply whispered for his brother to calm down as he rested his forehead against Hikaru's. "Oh, and here I was, thinking that they would become such fine followers."

"Oh Hikaru, you're so silly sometimes." a voice commented suddenly, and before someone could even move, two female twins showed up from behind Hikaru and Kaoru, a strange glint on their denim orbs. "Have you learnt nothing?"

"Oh Tomoko, please, tell me where I failed!" Hikaru begged, and the woman that was standing next to him smiled sweetly before caressing his cheek. "I can't even look at those two. They are such a disgrace!"

"Oh Hikaru, my dear, you should show them what it means to properly welcome the one you love." Tomoko started, and Hikaru nodded. "Let's show them, shall we?"

As they ignored everyone around them, Hikaru and Tomoko kissed. Azami was blushing terribly by now, while Mori was gazing at the sky with a bored expression. Honey, despite of his age, allowed his innocence to take over him, and he stared curiously at Hikaru and Tomoko while Kaoru whispered something into Miyuki's ear.

"Azami, it was great to see you back, but I promised Miyuki I was going to dance with her." Kaoru spoke suddenly, and the Portuguese girl looked at him before smiling slightly. "We shall talk later this evening."

"I shall retreat as well." Kyoya started, in a serious tone, and Azami turned to him only to blink when she saw what seemed to be a very faint blush on the young man's cheeks. "I have something I must do right away. I hope we can talk later as well, Azami."

"Ah, you're finally going to propose to Masika eh?" Tamaki questioned suddenly, a sly smile on his face, and he elbowed Kyoya on his side. "I knew you were going to wait for the commemoration of my engagement to go talk to her."

"Don't be improper, Tamaki." Kyoya mumbled before biding goodbye, and quickly retreat towards the other guests while Tamaki snickered at his behaviour.

"You really think he's going to do it tonight?" Haruhi asked, and her fiancé looked down at her before nodding, a wide smile gracing his pale features. "That would be great. I know how much Masika cares for him."

"Yes, but what about us stopping with this gossip, and go dance?" Tamaki asked suddenly before stepping backwards, and raise a hand to Haruhi. "Will you dance with me, beloved princess?"

"I will." Haruhi answered after a small giggle, but she still managed to say a quick goodbye to Azami and Mori before watching Tamaki grab Honey's arm, and pull him away.

"I guess some things never change, eh?" Azami finally decided to ask, as she struggled to ignore the fact that both Hikaru and Tomoko were still present, and Mori nodded in silent agreement. "I err… I heard you're still kendo's national champion."

"…Yes." Mori said with another short nod, and despite of the uneasiness she was feeling at the moment, Azami found it impossible not to giggle at the boy's behaviour. And such, did not pass unnoticed by Mori, who glanced at her. "What's so funny?"

"Oh sorry, it's just…" Azami stopped giggled, but a smile was still gracing her face, "It's refreshing to see that some things just don't change. Honey still continues the sweet yet hyper boy as before, and you're still silent as well."

"…I take that as a compliment." Mori said after a short silence, and Azami beamed at him, her hands clasped behind her back. "…Kyoya told me once you're now the head of your father's company."

"Oh…yes, I am." Azami said, her voice coming out slightly softer as she gazed at the ground, but then she smiled, and looked up at Mori again. "I'm actually going to stay in Japan for a while. I have a few projects I would like to accomplish here."

For a moment nothing was said, as Mori and Azami continued staring at each other. Not even Hikaru and Tomoko mattered anymore; all that mattered was that a past bond was springing from the ashes again; an attachment that hopefully would be as before, if not stronger.

"…That's good to know." Mori finally said, and Azami smiled shyly at him before looking down when she saw his extended hand. "Shall we dance?"

For a moment Azami just stared down at the extended hand, before recalling how the two of them had danced when they had been at the Academy. Slowly, she raised her hand as well, and smoothly rested her palm on Mori's, and allowed him to take her towards the spot he had in mind. It was with confusion that Azami noticed that Mori was taking her back to the katsura tree and not to where the rest of the dancing couples were.

Then, before her brain could process what was happening, Azami found herself facing Mori again, his right hand resting on her hip, his left hand grasping hers as he hold it about his shoulder-level. Wordlessly, the two of them started waltzing at the beat of the slow tune, their eyes locked as unspoken thoughts were finally transmitted to each other without a need to voice them.

"Mori, I…" Azami finally started after a long moment during which they had simply danced, and observed each other. "I'm really sorry for not saying anything for so long, but my father, he…he and my mother were going through a rough time. My father did not even want to give me the company anymore because he knew I wasn't going to follow his footsteps, and…"

"Takashi," Mori interrupted suddenly, and Azami blinked at his first name. "Takashi is fine."

At that, Azami's eyes widened in surprise, and the young woman felt her heartbeat speeding as blood rushed up to her cheeks. Despite of her age, Azami simply could not help but feel like a fifteen year-old school girl, who was falling in love for the first time.

"Takashi…" Azami whispered before smiling slightly, and before she knew what she was doing, she let go off Mori's hands before standing up on her toes, and wrap her arms around his neck. Then, she pressed her head against his chest, and started whispering what she had kept locked inside for a long time. "I'm so sorry, I tried…I tried to return sooner, but my father can be a very inflexible man, and he's so overconfident of his work that he simply refused to let me take over the company until I proved him that I could do it."

Instead of answering, Mori simply allowed his arms to rest on his sides, Azami still holding him with care.

"I tried to return sooner. Heavens, I _wanted_ to return sooner!" Azami said in a slightly higher tone, desolation finally taking over her. "I missed everyone so much…"

Suddenly, Mori wrapped his arms around the woman's waist, pressing her harder against him, and Azami finally took her head off his shoulder. At his touch, she looked up at him while Mori gazed down at her so that her nose was almost touching his chin.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered again, but Mori shook his head slightly.

"Don't be." he said, but when he felt Azami trying to shift backwards, he rested a hand on the middle of her back, silently telling her not to move. Uncertain of what she should do, Azami continued staring at him in the eye, and Mori proceeded. "Love is a piano dropped from a fourth story window, and you were in the wrong place at the wrong time."

In spite of the importance of that moment, Azami allowed a small laugh to escape her lips. Mori looked deadly serious, but the quote he had decided to use simply did not match with his facial expression, and thus the young woman had to laugh.

"Ani Difranco," Azami recognized, and Mori nodded. "But you know, I always thought that," a soft blush painted the young woman's cheeks, "Shakespeare was perfect to…well, he once wrote 'Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts'."

Instead of answering, Mori rested his hands on Azami's hips before stepping backwards. However, before the Portuguese girl could even wonder about what he could possibly be doing, Mori took her hands in his, his dark orbs finding her brown ones moments after.

Azami could not help but smile faintly at his actions. In the past she would have thought that he was simply doing his job as a member of the famous host club, but now, as she gazed at his eyes, she could not help but think that he was indeed being sincere. He was being genuine and straight through their silence.

Still with the small smile on her face, and without letting go of Mori's hands, Azami approached him once again before standing up on her toes. Gently, she moved her head closer to his ear before whispering.

"I missed you too."

When Mori turned to look at her in the eye, Azami smiled at him again before deciding to take the risk, and kiss him on the lips, their fingers still entwined as the grip on their hands increased slightly at the first intimate caress.

Far from the two young adults, dancing in the middle of all the guests, were Tamaki and Haruhi, watching their friends with smiles on their faces. With a small laugh, Tamaki forced Haruhi to swirl suddenly before pressing his fiancé's back against his chest, and lean down so that his lips were next to her ear.

"See? I told you there would be no more roads left." he said, and Haruhi's smile widened as she raised her head to meet his, and she kissed the young man's cheek before returning to her original position. "And the king is never wrong."

"You're so silly," Haruhi said with a laugh, and Tamaki smirked at her before pulling the young woman close to him, his left hand holding hers, "And insane as well."

"Well, they are finally together, and that's all that truly matters." Tamaki pointed out before gazing to his right side, to where Kyoya was, speaking with a red haired girl. "Say, how long do you think it will take me to finally force Kyoya to propose to Masika?"

"Oh yes, you're definitely insane." Haruhi giggled as they continued dancing close to each other, "And I thought Hikaru and Tomoko were the matchmakers?"

"Well, never said I couldn't give them a hand." Tamaki said, smiling, but then he pulled Haruhi even closer to him. "But you're right. I should enjoy my time with my sweet princess. 'I hold it true, whatever befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; that 'tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all."

"'Words, like nature, half reveal and half conceal the soul within'." Haruhi replied, and Tamaki gently cupped her right cheek with his hand before resting his forehead against hers, "Thank you."

"Love you, my lovely princess." Tamaki said, and Haruhi gave him a peck on the lips before smiling at him, a soft blush on her cheeks.

"Love you too, dear and silly prince of mine."

**THE END!**


End file.
